Manufacturing beauty: How AI and Social media are redefining aesthetic norms in emerging digital cultures

In the age of algorithmically curated social media, beauty standards are increasingly co-produced by platform design and AI-driven filters. This study investigates the impact of AI-powered beauty filters and recommendation systems on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat on body image and aesthetic preferences among young women in urban Pakistan. Guided by critical media theories of algorithmic power and postcolonial beauty norms, we utilize a mixed-methods approach that combines a structured survey (N = 300) with in-depth interviews (N = 30). The quantitative survey employed validated Likert scales to measure the frequency of filter use, body dissatisfaction, awareness of digital manipulation, and preference for Eurocentric facial features. Linear regressions and moderation analysis tested three hypotheses. Results confirmed a robust positive relationship between filter use and body dissatisfaction (β = 57, p < .001, R² = 0.42) as well as a very strong link between time spent on social media and preference for Eurocentric features (β = 0.46, p < .001, R² = 0.75). Awareness of digital distortion did not significantly weaken the filter-dissatisfaction association (interaction p = .38). Interview data revealed a deep internalization of algorithmic beauty norms, showing that many women relied on filters for social validation despite recognizing their artificiality, echoing broader patterns of algorithmic visibility bias. These findings indicate that AI-curated beauty ideals can exacerbate body anxiety and colorism pressures in a Global South context. We discuss implications for media literacy, platform governance, and culturally sensitive interventions to resist the algorithmic colonization of aesthetics.