Katie Couric Shares Makeup Free Selfie On Instagram To Help Fight Against ‘Snapchat Dysmorphia’

Katie Couric is getting real with her Instagram followers in her latest snapshot.

Yesterday, the 61-year-old took the opportunity to share a photo of herself after a long day in bed. But instead of sugar coating the image and adding a filter to it, the former Today Show host left the photo unfiltered, proving that even celebrities are not flawless all the time.

In the snapshot, Couric lays in bed on a fluffy white pillow. The TV personality gives a half-smile for the camera as she sports a pair of glasses and striped pajamas. Her hair is down and messy and it’s clear that she just doesn’t feel all that well. But in the caption of the photo, Couric is trying to do some good, taking a stand against something called “Snapchat dysmorphia.” According to People, those with the “illness” are going to extreme measures, even getting plastic surgery to try and look like the Snapchat filtered versions of themselves.

And in the caption of the post, Couric is trying to raise awareness for a good reason.

“An article in the latest issue of JAMA says plastic surgeons are increasingly getting requests to make people look as good as they do in their selfies after they edit them. Researchers call it ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’ and they say it is having a negative impact on self esteem and can even trigger body dysmorphic disorder, which is classified as a mental illness. Clearly, I am bucking that trend. I also have a terrible sore throat. #happymonday.”

The JAMA article that Katie is referencing came out earlier this month. In it, the article recognizes that certain photo editing technologies were only available to celebrities in the past — but now, with the arrival of Snapchat as well as other photo-editing apps, that same level of perfection is accessible to everyone, which is “propagating beauty standards.”

Recently, Dr. Daniel Maman also told People that over the past year and a half, there has been a huge spike in patients seeking surgery to look like their filtered selfies. While many people find this cause for concern, Maman says that there is something more positive about this than other plastic surgeries as the people who go under the knife are looking to achieve a better version of themselves as opposed to an entirely different person. In the past, people would bring photos of celebrities that they wanted to look like, which is why the surgeon sees this as something that is a little more positive.

But as for Couric? She thinks people should be happy in their own skin.