Snapchat users were unimpressed with the filter. Photo / Getty Images
Snapchat has removed a controversial selfie lens after the photo app was accused of racism.
The lens - a filter that changes how users' selfies look - appeared to play on stereotypes of Eastern Asians, altering users' complexion, enhancing the size of their front two teeth and slanting their eyes.
As soon as the filter was introduced, it was met with an instant backlash. Users accused the app of racism and questioned whether anyone at the company had stopped to think of the potentially offensive implications.
The lens drew comparisons with "yellowface" - the practice of white people donning makeup and dress in order to appear stereotypically Eastern Asian, whose use in Hollywood has often proved controversial, most recently in the Absolutely Fabulous film.
