Australian influencer Suzan Mutesi, often labeled a ‘fake influencer’, has come under renewed scrutiny for her inauthentic social media presence.
38-year-old Mutesi, known for her elaborate outfits and striking red carpet appearances, has been caught using extreme photo editing to drastically alter her appearance online.
Side by side comparisons shared by snark Instagram account Before After Influencers The weekend showed the major differences between Suzan’s unedited photos and the polished versions she shares with her followers.
One set of images featured Suzan in a vibrant, African-inspired ensemble with a dramatic head wrap with a wide brim.
The ‘before’ photo captured her natural look, with some texture in her skin and subtle makeup.
The edited version, however, tells a different story: Her skin looks airbrushed to perfection, with enhanced contours and a sharper jawline that gave her face a more sculpted look.
In another comparison, Suzan posed for photos at the Australian movie premiere of Barbie, wearing a striking bright pink mini-dress adorned with a large bow and paired with statement yellow gloves.
In the unedited photo, she smiled warmly and her makeup looked fresh but natural.
Australian influencer Suzan Mutesi, often labeled a ‘fake influencer’, has landed in hot water again for her heavily edited social media presence
The photos shared by the snark Instagram account Before After Influencers speak for themselves, with side-by-side comparisons showing the stark differences between Suzan’s unedited snaps and the polished versions she shares with her followers
However, the altered photo gave her a chiselled nose, fuller lips and an overall slimmer figure.
Her skin looked flawlessly smooth, with shadows and highlights manipulated to create a more dramatic effect.
In another striking example, Suzan was seen in a daring black and silver dress with a high slit.
Another shows that the ‘before’ image captures her natural look, with some texture in her skin and subtle makeup. The edited version, however, tells a different story: Her skin looks perfectly airbrushed, with enhanced contours and a sharper jawline that gives her face a more sculpted look.
In another comparison, Suzan posed for photos at the Australian movie premiere of Barbie, wearing a striking bright pink mini-dress adorned with a large bow and paired with statement yellow gloves. However, her own photos (right) looked very different
The ‘before’ image showed the dress’s natural fit and her physique, while the edited version appeared to have digitally pinched her waist and elongated her legs.
Her skin had been meticulously smoothed and even the dress’s embellishments looked clearer, indicating that the work went beyond just her facial features.
Critics have taken to social media to address Suzan’s continued use of editing apps, with one user calling her “FaceApp’s most dedicated user.”
In another striking example, Suzan is seen wearing a daring black and silver dress with a high slit. The ‘before’ image shows the natural fit of the dress and her physique, while the edited version appears to have digitally pinched her waist and elongated her legs
Comments like “She’s a trip” and shocked emojis poured in as followers responded to her seemingly endless attempts to present a digitally altered version of herself.
This isn’t the first time the controversial influencer has made headlines for editing her photos.
Suzan previously told Ny Breaking Australia that she owes all her Instagram images to her iPhone, but also to apps like FaceTune and Photoshop.
‘Sometimes the main photographer [on red carpets]…will not take their lights with them. So not all camera settings are geared for dark-skinned girls or other skin tones,” she said.
It’s not the first time Suzan has been dragged into a Photoshop scandal, as she recently sparked speculation that she had used Facetune after sharing a photo of herself at the gym
‘It also depends on the room. Sometimes the lighting in the room is… like the room is beautifully decorated, but there are shadows and it’s dark.”
Suzan said she often makes sure to use the ProRAW settings on her iPhone before anyone else takes photos of her from low angles.
She then uses apps like FaceTune and Photoshop on her phone to create an enhanced version of her red carpet photos.
‘Of course it helps if you have a good foundation. If you don’t look great, you won’t get the best photo,” she joked.
As for the dark, smoky eye makeup suddenly appearing in many of her Instagram photos, Suzan said poor lighting is the cause.
‘That’s what happens when you have downlights. It darkens your face, but it doesn’t lighten it,” she said of her official red carpet photos.
“So if I brighten that photo, it highlights the facial features and the eyes, but you can also use PhotoTune to accentuate your eyes in a way that accentuates the liner a little bit so you can see exactly what the eye is like.”
Suzan revealed that her favorite editing app is FaceTune, which she will often use for low-light event photos.
She said the Photoshop app is also part of her arsenal at times, but “you have to make sure your photo is in a good setting” before editing it in the app.
“Having these settings before you take the photo can help you enhance your photo because you can’t just drastically go from one thing to the next unless you’re just having fun,” she said.