I used to say that you can cheat with photos, but you can’t cheat with videos. That’s an outdated statement. There is now a software – a filter that can alter your face even during live streaming. The technology is simply amazing and the fake images projected can create deceptions far more profitable than all the WeChat sex scams. Cheating has gone to a whole new level. And so had men’s stupidity. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think such “scams” are probably not even illegal.
Fans of the popular Chinese video blogger who called herself “Your Highness Qiao Biluo” 乔碧萝殿下 have been left shamefully stunned after a technical glitch during one of her live-streams revealed that she is actually middle-aged woman whose face has been altered by a high tech software to look like the young, glamorous girl of their dreams.
The video below shows how such filters work and 乔碧萝殿下 is obviously not the only one using such methods to attract fans and gifts.
It has been estimated that China has more than 425 million live-streamers and the use of face filters is something that is common across the myriad of social platforms. But as they say, paper can’t contain fire. Software glitches do occur and often at the most inconvenient times. While chatting with a real beauty online, Qiao Biluo’s filter failed and she didn’t even realise it until she noticed that a huge chunk of her fans suddenly disappeared.
Of course, this trick is not new at all. The photo above was taken from an advertisement for a local spa on Facebook. From the hundreds of like that photos like this managed to garner, one would be compelled to conclude that hundreds of guys (who like to fantasize) believe that they’ll find these girls if they pay a visit to the spas. Well, the only guarantee you get is that these pictures bear no resemblance to reality.
Would these guys patronize of the ladies had shown their real, undoctored faces? Fat hope. No pun intended. The fact is, the majority won’t cause a ruckus. The illusion is maintained and the fantasies are kept alive. Frankly, I don’t see anything wrong if the guys come to terms with reality, close their eyes and enjoy the massage.
While many of the victims (men who fantasize a lot) reacted angrily to this expose of Qiao Biluo, commenters found it hard to sympathize with them. At least those who visit the spas are getting a massage. Only idiots would give money to a face in the virtual world (who can’t do anything for you) and there happened to be one idiot who gave 100,000 yuan. These guys remind me of pious devotees , making offerings to a goddess whom they will probably never meet even if she were real. Who can they blame if her magic were all fake?
I wonder if this phenomenon had anything to do with Chinese mythology. Nobody has seen what Chang Er, goddess of the moon looks like. Someone paints a picture from inspiration and imagination. Regardless of how inaccurate the drawing, people accept it. What more a pretty face they see on live streaming?
© Dewdrop Publications
Publisher of adult fiction and Asian travel and culture. Check out Dewdrop Books
