It’s hard to deny that we live in a society obsessed with youth and beauty. You only have to turn on the TV, open a magazine, or go online to see it. The use of Photoshop and its magical airbrushing qualities has been alive and kicking for years; used liberally and daily to nip, tuck, smooth and all the rest. Critics say that we are promoting an unrealistic reality and damaging the self-esteem of a generation. Those who use it say they’re just delivering the public what they want, and that magazines and products just don’t sell in comparison to their altered and perfected counterparts.
How is it done?
You only have to Youtube words like ‘photoshop’ or ‘airbrushing’ to get endless videos that demonstrate just how it’s done. One example is Dove’s now famous example of how, with the help of makeup artists, stylists and of course a dab hand at Photoshop, one woman can be transformed beyond almost all recognition. See below:
Another video which received attention for the ruthless nature of the Photoshop tool is this one. Legs extended, eyes enlarged and skin colour altered to leave a woman totally different to the one we were originally shown.
Who do they do it to?
Kate Winslet – Oscar winner, mother, kick-ass actress, and regular victim to the hand of the airbrusher. At 38 she’s experienced her fair share of altering controversy. Her place on the cover of US Vogue’s November edition was hotly anticipated… until it was released. Critics noted the cover looked like a painting – and not in a good way. Not a wrinkle in sight, falsely blue eyes…you know the drill.
There was a bit of déjà vu here. The response echoed that of her GQ cover ten years before, when she had been so outrageously digitally altered that she released the following statement: “The retouching is excessive. I do not look like that and more importantly, I don’t desire to look like that.”
From one over-airbrushed Kate to another. Katy Perry’s Rolling Stone cover back in 2011 pretty much summed up the argument of Photoshop being used unnecessarily. Despite looking drop-dead gorgeous in the original photo, some eagle-eyed people noticed that in the image used on the cover, moles had been removed from her neck, her fingers repositioned, her hair adjusted, skin smoothed and breasts lifted.
Images like these, and there are plenty more, seem to be forming a bit of a pattern. Not only is the concept of ageing being completely denied from the media, but there is also an obsession with perfection – invisible pores, blemish-free skin, bigger lips, and perfectly symmetrical faces are the norm.
So who does it? Who gives the order of such heavy-handed editing? The magazine editor or ad agency boss, the celeb’s manager, the image-obsessed celebrity, the overzealous photoshopper him/herself?
The Effects
Dove has been somewhat of a pioneer in the research into not only the extensive use of airbrushing, but also the effects it has on society. Their research has shown just some of the following alarming results…
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96% of women questioned said they felt the models used in beauty advertising are not a realistic representation of women today
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Over 40% said advertising made them feel self-conscious about their appearance
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28% said they were left feeling inadequate and 20% said they were less confident in their daily lives as a result of such images
The company, synonymous with their ‘real women’ adverts and Photoshop critique videos, has itself had a fair share of controversy. A seemingly innocuous advert featuring ‘real women’ – or non-models – of various sizes and ethnicities was used to promote the use of their firming lotions and “change the way society views beauty”. However, the campaign was pretty much ruined when a prominent photo-retoucher gave an interview to The New Yorker and discussed the challenge of editing the women to “show the mileage but not looking unattractive.” Dove denied this but the damage was done and a bad taste was left in the mouths of many.
Her Campus readers – what do you think about the prolific use of Photoshop in the media today? Unnecessary and damaging or unavoidable in today’s world?