The Project co-host Kanoa Lloyd takes her make-up off live on air

Kanoa Lloyd showed her “real face” on The Project after the topic of social media filters prompted the co-host to wipe all the make-up off of her face, according to Newshub.

The presenters, along with Kiwi social media star Jess Quinn, were discussing the latest hyper-realistic filters that were trending on social media platforms such as TikTok and how they set unrealistic beauty standards for social media users.

The controversial conversation gave rise to Lloyd taking off her make-up on air, reflecting that it is not normal for people to wear so much make-up and compare themselves to each other.

“It does strike me that I can’t really sit here and say, ‘Yeah that’s bad, filters are bad’, while I’ve got a full face of TV glam that I get every night before I come into your lounge and hang out with you,” Lloyd commented.

“So I’m going to take my make-up off.”

TikTok’s “bold glamour” filter adds the effect of make-up, flawless skin and plump lips to videos and has been used in more than 7 million videos on the social media platform.

The seemingly popular filter is now receiving backlash from users of the video streaming platform, with one user describing the feature as “concerning”.

She demonstrated what the filter made her face look like, saying: “The fact that people are using this filter and it looks normal on them - it’s concerning.”

She then revealed her face without the filter, saying: “This is what a normal face looks like.”

Filters have come a long way since dog ears and flower crowns. Now, they are subtly changing people’s appearances, making people question their natural beauty and holding themselves to unrealistic beauty standards.

Jess Quinn described the experience as “frustrating”, telling Lloyd: “I keep hoping we’ve made progress in the way we speak about bodies and the way we present ourselves and the way we speak about beauty - and then I see things like this.”

“It’s a little disheartening I guess.”

The filter, unlike others which usually warp your hand if it’s in the frame, doesn’t move or falter. The feature fits perfectly onto the user’s face, making it look extremely realistic. This is what concerns the social media star.

“I think people’s reality is getting lost with what’s real and what’s not,” says Quinn.

“The reason I don’t like filters is I was using it and then I turned it off and I instantly felt worse about myself, not because of what I was viewing of others but because it highlighted my differences and my so-called imperfections.

“That’s actually the damaging side of it - what we’re doing to ourselves.”