One of us

Flip open a magazine. What do you see? Flawless skin, perfectly toned bodies, perfect cleavage, perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect everything. Right? Now look in the mirror and look at your family members and friends. Now what do you see? Flat chests, flabby stomachs, dark circles under the eyes, and lines everywhere. We all think the same thing: Why can’t I look like the stars in the magazine. So we buy gallons of concealer and foundation, pay money for Botox injections, or sulk on the couch with a paper bag over our head. I’ve got a newsflash for you: You are wasting your time and money! I’m not being insensitive saying that you’re so ugly you can never reach model standards; I am saying that there are no model standards because models look just like us. Models know how to hide who they really are. They have the power to hide wrinkles, lines, dark circles, pimples, and flab, and make their boobs, eyes, and butts bigger all at the same time. But they aren’t magicians; Photoshop is.

Generation Y knows the power of Photoshop. Most millennials own the program and dabble with it to add effects to their favorite pictures, but most forget that Photoshop is the most important tool to the ad and magazine industries. We continue to see the flawless bodies as a reality. Many people who do photo touch-ups claim that their method only enhances the natural beauty that a person possesses. As an avid Photoshopper myself, I see this declaration to be false. Changing the color tone of the photo and adjusting the brightness and the contrast are ways to bring out the natural beauty of the picture, as well as the person in it. Erasing wrinkles, lengthening eyelashes, and shrinking waist-lines are not bringing out the natural beauty of the photo or the person. Such extreme alterations, in my opinion, cause the image to cease being a photograph, and transform it into a computer generated piece of artwork. It is based on a real person, but it is no longer a photographic depiction of one.

Look at the picture below.

It is a Photoshopped picture of a woman, a computer generated piece of artwork. We know that no real person looks like this. The image is altered. We should think the same things when we see a photo such as this:

If you still don’t believe that most models have the same “imperfections” that we do, check out this website: http://www.glennferon.com/portfolio1/index.html . Click on any of these ad models and mouse over his or her picture to see who he or she really is. I guarantee some of them will make you feel a lot better about yourself.

Sickened by society’s deception of beauty yet? If none of this has upset you yet, maybe this will:
You’re never too young for a touch-up. Apparently children face a standard of beauty as well. With mobs of pageant moms training their tiny tots to be the future Miss America, many of them are turning to photo touch-up specialist to get their daughters noticed. Slathering their three-year-olds with make-up just isn’t cutting it anymore. Check out this website for a pageant photo touch-up company. (Mouse over the pictures to see the real children vs. the perfect pageant girls.) http://www.thephotoenhancer.com/example1.htm

As a future graphic designer, I know that I will most likely be forced to do such hideous alterations. In an effort to avoid this, I don’t plan on becoming a designer for any major ad companies or fashion magazines. I understand the impact such modified images has on people, especially women. For those of you suffering from low self esteem, remember: models are one of us, only they feel the need to hide behind a mask.