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SELF:ME Exhibition Exposes Mental Health Toll of Hong Kong’s Photo-Editing Culture
14/08/2026
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14/08/2026
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Hong Kong Mental Wellness Association, Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service and Omnicom Health Hong Kong initiative unveils new youth wellbeing research and launches an interactive experience encouraging Hong Kong’s young people to step away from filters and embrace their authentic selves
The ‘SELF:ME’ campaign jointly launched by the Hong Kong Mental Wellness Association (HKMWA) and Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service (BOKSS), with full support from FUJIFILM instax, and developed by partner agency Omnicom Health Hong Kong, continues its push to build self-confidence and protect mental health among Hong Kong’s gen z population. The campaign’s next chapter unfolded this week, with a SELF:ME event that unveiled sobering new survey findings on the toll photo-editing culture is taking on the city’s youth, while opening an interactive experience inviting more people to appreciate and celebrate their true selves.
SELF:ME launched in June 2026, positioning instant photography as a refreshing alternative to edited photos, with an open digital platform, inviting young people to step away from filters and face the camera as themselves before posting online. Since then, the initiative has gathered hundreds of unedited photographs from participants across Hong Kong. The hope is that the growing photo collection will stand as honest records of who these young people really are, but also as heart warming testimonies to young people’s journeys towards self-acceptance and a more positive sense of identity.
Earlier this week, the campaign entered a new phase with a SELF:ME event, hosting a press conference themed ‘Shine Like a Star, Just as You Are’, shining a light on the emotional strain young people face under constant online beauty pressure and calling on the wider community to take youth mental health seriously. Dr. May Lam, founder and president of the HKMWA, together with Ms. Scarlet Poon Fung-oi, assistant chief executive of BOKSS, announced the findings of the ‘Survey on Emotional Health and Photo-Editing Behaviours among Hong Kong Youth.’, a study of 983 residents aged 11 to 30 examining the links between photo-editing habits, self-confidence, self-compassion and emotional wellbeing.
The results paint a troubling picture of perfectionism-driven self-criticism among the city’s youth, with frequent photo-editing shown to correlate directly with lower self-compassion and greater dissatisfaction with one’s own appearance. Nearly 70% of gen z in Hong Kong have retouched photos of themselves before posting on social media, while about half rate their wellbeing below the international standard. Around 40% expressed a desire to significantly change their appearance, more than one-third disliked how they looked in the mirror or in photographs, and over one-third were dissatisfied with their appearance. Respondents who edited their photos more frequently also reported lower levels of well-being.
“Behind the photo retouching lies a lot of negative self-criticism,” warned Dr. May Lam Mei-ling, founder and president of the Hong Kong Mental Wellness Association. “The more individuals edit their photos, the more dissatisfied they feel with their appearance – and the lower their self-compassion.”
At the event, singer-songwriter and campaign ambassador, Serrini, spoke candidly about her own struggles with self-esteem in her younger years, and how she found her way to a more grounded sense of self-worth – a journey she says mirrors the one SELF:ME hopes to offer Hong Kong’s youth: “Confidence doesn’t come from thinking, ‘I am perfect.’ It comes from being able to say, ‘I know I have imperfections, yet I still feel empowered and genuinely like who I am.'”
The SELF:ME event also introduced a free interactive ‘SELF:ME’ Interactive Photography Experience Zone at AIRSIDE (Level 3, Kai Tak), a week-long exhibition open to the public until August 16th, which invites visitors to switch off filters, participate in zero-retouch instax photography, and leave personal messages of self-appreciation. Alongside the interactive booth, a photo wall showcases the authentic, unedited faces of young Hong Kong participants. Through this week-long visual and emotional dialogue, organisers hope to encourage visitors to celebrate their authentic self and for the wider public to rethink what beauty means.
SELF:ME’s impact is designed to extend beyond the awareness it continues to raise. A limited run of 500 SELF:ME Charity Special Edition Sets raised HK$100,000, with all proceeds donated to the HKMWA to support local mental health services for young people. A cheque presentation ceremony formally marking the donation was held during this week’s event. The campaign’s research has also sparked a lasting institutional commitment: the HKMWA has announced it will run the youth mental wellness index established through this survey on an annual basis, extending the original research into an ongoing benchmark for the city. It is a rare example of a brand campaign, catalysing the NGO sector toward a longer-term, sustained response.
“It’s a great honour to support a campaign of such social significance,” said Mr. Stanley Sun, CEO of Fujifilm Hong Kong Limited. “What defines a FUJIFILM instax photo is its ‘unrewritable’ quality – a uniqueness and authenticity that captures the most natural, unfiltered beauty of the present moment. Through this campaign, we hope to remind every young person that who they are, right here and right now, deserves to be valued.”
Oscar Yeung, account director at Omnicom Health Hong Kong, said, “”These research findings are hard to read, but they’re exactly why campaigns like SELF:ME matter. When nearly half of Hong Kong’s gen z are living with below-average wellbeing, this can’t just be a conversation, it has to be a collective response. We’re proud to see FUJIFILM instax, the Hong Kong Mental Wellness Association and Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service as well as a number of other organisations come together behind this cause, and we hope it encourages more brands and organisations to recognise the importance of supporting young people’s mental health.”
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