Wednesday, February 24, 2010

We need to C.H.A.T.

There you are, standing at the checkout counter at your local grocery store. You're waiting patiently for the person in front of you to finish their loot while you discretely glance at the cover of this weeks issue of People Magazine. Staring you square in the face, the eye-catching cover looks something like this:




'Wow. 'Is your first thought.

You think to yourself about how you wish you were skinny. I mean, comparatively, you most likely aren't as thin as Kate Bosworth in that picture and there's no way you could ever pull of the ribcage-baring bikini like Nicole. So, You pick it up to read just a little about how they stay so thin. All this attention and hype on how thin they are. You're quickly reading through the pages as you hear the beeps of the scanner and the bagger asking, "Paper or Plastic, Ma'am"
"Paper, please.", you say.



You know your time's running out quickly and not having enough time to read "all the craze about their skinniness" you slap that magazine down on the grocery belt and purchase it. You just have to finish reading about how skinny they are, the who's, the how's, the why's. You see the register screen read $3.99 as the clerk scans the magazine. Sheesh, $3.99?
After unloading your groceries at home, you start reading through the pages while flashed with images of skinny models baring almost everything, yet looking magnificently perfect, flawless skin on both male and female celebrities and, oh yes, the every-other-page ads telling you about how you need to purchase 'this item' or 'that item' to "look like the celebrities". Looking at the cover again you think, "How do they always look so perfect?"



Well, what if I told you I know their secret?

I know you've heard of it before: PHOTOSHOP



SIDE NOTE: Before we continue to view cases in which photoshop has been used, please understand that I believe on the photographer's stance, he/she uses it as a tool to perfect a work of art. It is when it is used irresponsibly (ie: make someone look desperately skinnier than they really are to cause buzz, make them bigger, etc.) that you need to understand that what you see is NOT REAL.



Image #1. : The picture on the right side is the original. The one on the left has been photoshopped.



If you ask me, I personally think she is strikingly beautiful in her original picture. She looks real, fresh and I think her freckles suit her.

Image #2. : The image on the Right is the original. The image on the left has been photoshopped.




This was from a J.Crew ad featuring their bathing suits. No, model's thighs are not as skinny as they appear to be in the catalogs. truly, she looks just perfect in the picture on the right. Do you see anything wrong with it? Nope. Neither do I.

Image #3. : The image on the right is the original photo. The image on the left has been photoshopped.




When a model or actor/actress goes in for a photo shoot, they have their own personal make up artist to accompany them in their preparations. Makeup is a wonderful tool I feel every girl should have a chance to try and experiment with. Tara Starling, the makeup artist for all three High School Musicals, the Fastest Indian, Saints and Soldiers and one of my dearest friends said it perfectly when she said,

"So many women see makeup as something to ‘fix’ what is wrong with them, but this view enslaves us to the false belief that we are somehow defective. We are not. We are each inherently beautiful, and when we see makeup as a tool to celebrate that beauty, it then becomes an empowering form of healthy self-expression...We ARE beauty! The rest is just having fun with great products and exploring all the facets of our individuality.”

Makeup is a wonderful addition to help perfect and hide blemishes, but even on some celebrities and models, the best techniques out there won't hide uneven skin.

Image #4.: The image on the right is the original photo. the image on the left has been photoshopped.

Two different magazines and, surprisingly, two different Beyonce's.

Image #5. : The image on the right is the original photo. The image on the left has been photoshopped.

Really, he is a handsome guy! But, just remember, even your favorite male celebrities can be photoshopped to look perfect.

***Personally, I don't mind when a person has been photoshopped to smooth out skin or to remove a scar, etc. I DO mind when their hips have been distorted to a size that isn't even possible for their own body. ***

Image #6. : The image on the RIGHT has been photoshopped. The image on the LEFT is the original.

Even candid shots from red-carpet events have been tampered with. She's beautiful though.

Image #7. : The image on the right is the original photo. The image on the left has been photoshopped.

I think she's a pretty girl. I like to see a little shine on a models face, don't you? It reminds me she's human!

Image #8. : Well, I'm pretty sure about 99% of all the women in America have looked through a Victoria's Secret catalog envying their ever-so-perfect bodies. Yes, yes, even I have fallen victim to the thoughts of how to get my body to look THAT amazing. But now, my only thought is, " If they could photoshop an actual human out of this picture, cellulite-reduction must be an even easier task!"

If all these images you see are mostly photoshopped, don't you think, for reaction's sake, it's possible the magazines and catalogs could photoshop a model or celebrity to look TOO skinny to where their head is bigger than their hips? :


Or maybe they decide to make someone look TOO fat?


Magazine's and catalogs will continue to make-over models and celebrities to perfection, or, unfortunately, to buzz-worthy imperfection.

Looks like the only model you can compare yourself to is the one you see in the mirror every day.

Caution: Objects in mirror are better than they appear.
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6 comments:

  1. WOW!! That is crazy!

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  2. Ok, this makes not feel so bad! I always wondered how they looked so flawless all the time!
    Thanks for the post and props to you for taking the time to do this. It's definitely something that needs more attention.

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  3. HOLY NIGHT! I think you're spot on with the first picture. I really like her freckles. This is a great idea. I hope you will do more posts!
    Charlene

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  4. I love reading your blog Jacque!!! You give me so much to think about because I am definitely the girl you described at the beginning of this. Always second guessing what I look like and compare. This year I am really trying to focus on the real me, the beautiful inside and out me, the me who is happy with herself and who doesn't compare herself to others. :)

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  5. Way to go AMIE! That is the attitude you need to have! There is no one better to compare yourself to than the BEST you that you know you can be!
    GOLDIE: there are many more tricks out there! I'm hunting for them!
    KARLEE: Don't ever feel bad when looking at a magazine! In fact, just don't ever feel bad!
    CHARLENE: I will definitel keep posting :)

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  6. This actually makes me kind of mad. Not the post, but the fact that half of what we see in magazines are fake! They'll never get another $3.99 from me!

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