Who remembers Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year for 2013? It’s the only one I’ve ever remembered because it generated a lot of debate, some of it on whether it deserved a placing the dictionary in the first place.

The word was ‘selfie.’

Selfies have always been controversial. People write academic journals about how they’ve improved the self-esteem of women, but people also write about how selfies are an indication that millennials suffer from intense narcissism. Supporters of selfies jokingly reference the centuries-old practice of painting portraits (which could take days) as a sign that narcissism isn’t new, but then again, no one ever tried to paint a portrait while driving.

The debate surrounding selfies has died down over the years as everyone realized that selfies aren’t going away anytime soon. But they have found a new place. More and more, millennials have moved their selfies from Instagram and Facebook to Snapchat. Some even consider it bad etiquette to post selfies on Instagram. That doesn’t mean, by any means, that it’s uncommon to find them there, but Snapchat has become the go-to stop for those personal pictures.

One of the reasons for its popularity is that Snapchat has developed filters unlike anything any other social media platform has tried. These filters are specifically made to follow your face, and they work perfectly from an arm’s length away — selfie distance. Snapchats, from the beginning, have always been much more casual because they disappear so quickly. You can snap a picture even if you don’t look your best because the recipient will only see the picture for however long you choose. Filters have built on this by being a distractor from any imperfections.

As the popularity of filters has grown, there has obviously been some backlash. The biggest, most obvious cases have been accusations of racism in filters. People felt offended by their Bob Marley filter as well as a filter “inspired by anime.” The first was accused of being blackface as well as reducing Bob Marley into only a 4/20 joke while the second was accused of being a stereotypical “yellowface” because it gave the filtered person squinty eyes, buck teeth, and big cheeks. These both generated a quick response from Snapchat who claimed no harm was intended with either filter.

But there’s also been a more subtle controversy following almost every filter Snapchat has made. A lot of them make one’s skin lighter, face slimmer and/or eyes bigger. All of these are designed to make the person in the photo more beautiful without needing to throw on make-up. But all of those traits apply to a very specific beauty standard, one that’s also very white. The problems with lightening someone’s skin in order to make them more attractive are pretty apparent, but they also are associated with a long-standing tradition of “colorism,” a form of discrimination among people of color (particularly black, latino/a, and Indian). For a long time in colonized areas, social standing among native people was decided based on the lightness of their skin. This discrimination carries on today. The slim face and big eyes that Snapchat adds are just more standards typically associated with white beauty.

Even for white people, these filters are problematic. Instead of embracing the way they look naturally, Snapchatters are aligning with a specific standard of beauty. The filters contradict the opinions of initial selfie supporters who claimed that selfies were a way of celebrating one’s beauty. Even sillier filters like the dog face make the filtered person’s face thinner in order to make them more attractive. These facial modifications are a complete turn from the selfie culture that appeared years ago, and they might be here to stay.

That being said, these filters can’t possibly bear all the blame. They’re basically the same as make-up, where trends lately have pushed for more contouring to make the face look thinner. And make-up has long been making people’s eyes bigger and skin tone more even. Many people of color are also still bleaching their skin in order to look more attractive. Snapchat’s filters are just another example of the standard of beauty that women are struggling to reach. I won’t stop anybody from using them, and I’ll even admit that I still filter my selfies from time to time. But for everyone who feels like they need filters to look good enough for someone, maybe try reaching for the #nofilter hashtag next time.