Gleam Futures Launches Creator-Led Campaign Against AI Beauty Filters

Gleam Futures, DENTSU CREATIVE’s talent management and influencer marketing practice, together with leading UK creators are launching a nationwide campaign this week against the use of beauty filters - AI-powered editing tools designed to secretly alter your true appearance on social media - as part of the agency’s wider pioneering efforts to create a safer, healthier and more positive social culture.   

The group, with a combined following of millions, includes Gleam Futures roster talent Gemma Styles, Adele Roberts, Emily Norris, Anna Whitehouse (AKA Mother Pukka), Poppy Deyes, Clair and James Buckley, Paula Sutton, Kat Farmer and Grace Victory. The creators have also signed up to a manifesto agreeing not to use beauty filters - the likes of Facetune, Perfect365 or TikTok’s AI filter Bold Glamour which has racked up nearly 1bn views since its February launch - across their social media content.    

A nationwide OOH, digital and social media campaign by DENTSU CREATIVE UK will run online and on 48-sheet and digital six-sheet poster sites in London, including on the London Underground, Westminster, Oxford St, Harley Street, Westfield Shopping centre, near schools as well as nationally in student unions and music venues from this week alongside the gleamfutures.com/manifesto website. The campaign hits in advance of the next reading of the Bill on 22nd June.    

The work, featuring all the talent, calls on everyone to ‘Be a Bold Influence’. It celebrates ‘8 billion versions of beautiful’, ‘self love in every shape and size’, ‘texture, fine lines, pimples and dimples’ and champions ‘leaving the planet better than when we started’ and ‘creating a world of the mentally healthy’.  

The Gleam manifesto, which the group is actively encouraging all creators to join as of this week, urges creators to hold their account to account, and not post any content that promotes distorted or misleading beauty standards. All newly-signed Gleam Futures talent will be asked to sign up as the agency looks to build a more sustainable and ethical creator industry.

As part of the campaign, the group is demanding the Government bring the upcoming Online Safety Bill in line with sweeping measures introduced in the likes of Norway*, where creators must label retouched photos, as well as France which is also demanding video labelling.  Specifically, the group wants the Bill expanded to label beauty filters as ‘harmful content’ and require use of a #filtered hashtag wherever beauty filtering is present. 

“With great influence comes great responsibility,” says Melanie Kentish, managing partner at Gleam Futures. “Young people are unwitting subjects in a social experiment changing the way we form our identities, represent ourselves and relate to others. It’s all happening without any safety net in place while the AI tech snowballs at a relentless pace. We’re stepping up and encouraging our industry peers in talent management to follow suit, but the Government needs to act decisively or face a worsening mental health crisis. We need to create a safer digital space for future generations to come.”  

“As tech advances the pressure to be digitally ‘perfect’ at such a young age has fuelled a self-worth crisis,” adds Anna Whitehouse. “So many teenagers - young girls especially - are using filters to sharpen, shrink, enhance and recolour their faces and bodies. Both the Government and creators have a clear responsibility to effectively legislate and be responsible role models, respectively. What we post matters and as creators we have to take a stand.”  

She adds, “The legislative measures France and Norway have taken to protect kids has to be the absolute minimum requirement for the UK Government. We’re all hoping our politicians take the opportunity to show true global leadership here. Gleam’s campaign is a timely reminder of our responsibilities and duty of care.”  

Sue Higgs, ECD of DENTU CREATIVE UK says, “We took the manifesto beyond digital, into the real world, where young people using these filters can see first-hand the mental health issues that they cause. And to talk directly to lawmakers in their backyard, harnessing all the talent and capabilities at dentsu to be bold and make a difference.”

Media planning was through Dentsu.