Don't know if this belongs in Support or General Chatter...

The untouched version of Faith Hill's Redbook magazine cover is floating around the internet. I saw it on a 3fc blog (sorry, don't remember which one) and also here.

Here's an even more dramatic series of "before" and "after" shots that shows digital dieting and anti-aging. Roll over the photos with your mouse to see the untouched-up version. Look especially at the lower left side (the model's right hip) in the fourth photo: nifty, there goes 20 pounds!

We all know that magazines lie, of course. No news there. But most of us probably don't realize the extent to which magazines create a body image and aging ideal that even the most beautiful women (like Faith Hill or the brunette model in the second series) can't live up to without hours of help from a photoshop expert.

And we wonder why so many women -- and an increasing number of men -- are growing up with eating disorders and body issues.

Don't know about you ladies, but I'm rushing out the door to get Photoshop!!!! LOLOL

haha. its not that hard to use photoshop. quite easy to widen and narrow certain parts of the body, plus airbrushing...

X

LoL. The original photo of Faith Hill looked better...

I recently saw a comparison of a Tyra Banks photo from '97 and '07. She didn't mention photoshopping, but after seeing her on Top Model you KNOW there was a lot of work going on.

All celebrities are photoshopped and over-made-up in person. It's just part of the business. Without makeup, photoshop, and a hugely extensive workout schedule and a personal nutritionist, they would (and sometimes do) just look like ordinary people.

I actually used to Photoshop my pictures just a little, but always felt so guilty I had to stop. Usually it was just a blemish or two, though! They made that woman's boobs bigger and totally changed her shape face (amongst everything else)! That's just excessive.

I never photoshop my pictures because I never know who I'll be meeting in real life one day

It would be absolutely SCARRING to hear, "Yeah... you look nothing like your pictures and a whole lot worse." or know someone might be thinking it.

If you go to Dove's website, they have a video that traces a model from when she first steps into the studio to when her photo is put onto a billboard. It's crazy!!

And this is done for all of our media, too. In movies, actors are caked with makeup and then aftertouches are made frame-by-frame. It's important that we realize this kind of thing goes on when we're comparing ourselves to celebrities.

I checked out the video on Dove.com. It's funny, the woman was pretty before, but nothing to really write home about. They turned her into some kind of unattainable Aphrodite figure that made me hate myself by just looking at the image!

Isn't it crazy?! After watching that, a part of me was bitter that our society demands this, and a part of me felt a lot better about myself. Also, I can't help but be glad I never aspired to be a model -- I can't imagine what that would do to one's self-esteem. Ugh.

X

society as a whole is unenlightened about all of this... they still expect 'real' women to be perfect in order to be considered attractive. that's pretty unfortunate. it seems to me that there's quite a bit of a double standard when it comes to men as well. (i know men are touched up just as much as women) but a man with a little pudge, or hair loss, or scruff, or whatever isn't near as big a deal as a woman with a weight issue, or a bit of a moustache (gasp!) or whatever. anyway, it just seems to me that women are criticized far more than men for not being perfect...

I saw Cameron Diaz the last time I was in L.A. She's not even average looking in person. Really awful skin; like she's been battling acne for years. And yet, when you see a picture of her it is flawless.

She owes a big debt to the make-up artists and photoshop. Makes me feel a lot better as a real woman to know that it's all smoke and mirrors.