By Leigh Andrews
While the red eye reduction tool certainly has its benefits, it’s seen as ‘not cool’ to go so far as to erase stretch marks and recontour the body shape. Certain celebs have been known to kick up a fuss if this happens, such as Kate Winslet, who is
not a fan of ‘excessive retouching’, and
claims that the cover of
GQ was altered to such an extent that it reduced the size of her legs by half.
The issue was highlighted again when
Hotel Rwanda actress and poet, Lebo Mashile,
complained that the November 2009 issue of
True Love Photoshopped her ‘to look thinner.’ All fair and well to digitally enhance photos for aesthetic qualities, such as improving the quality of light in the photo, particularly those appearing in print titles, but where do we draw the line with Photoshopping?
In
Carte Blanche on 22 August, Carol Albertyn Christie
produced a segment presented by Annika Larsen on Photoshopping. This brought to light the issue of whether the beauty standards set by excessively airbrushed photos are realistic or not – considering that even Penelope Cruz, the woman with the most ‘symmetrical’ face, has her photos retouched before they appear in publications. In digitally manipulating these images, are we saying that the clothes only look good on created females or mannequins? Or that even supermodels don’t have lashes long enough to meet the standard the mascara brands are setting - so much so that they add in false lashes to create the illusion of the perfect set of cheek grazers?
Mashile explained on
Carte Blanche that she is passionate about the topic of accurate female representation in the media and public space, and that she is comfortable in her own body – this is why she took offense – while the photo in the feature article ‘still looked like her’, the cover image made her look considerably thinner than she really is. There are some people out there who go to drastic lengths to ‘attain perfection’, with cosmetic surgery; tooth whitening; and rib removal for a smaller waist, but most of us are more than happy to load the snaps we take with a digital camera straight onto Facebook, without stopping to ‘touch up’ our look with an image editing program – it’s about capturing the moment, not the actual look. The recent Dove '
Self-Esteem Trust campaign highlighted by local advertising guru, Andy Rice, draws on this element – a plain-looking girl, with short hair and no make-up, being
primped for a photo shoot – with hair extensions; extensive make-up; and a great deal of ‘Photoshopping’ to lengthen her neck and create a sharper image, before finally appearing on an advertising billboard. The ad then encourages watchers to join the ‘
Campaign for Real Beauty’. The message of the campaign - to not make us feel pale in comparison - comes across strongly.
In this regard, Jessica Simpson is surprisingly one of the celebs who
agreed to have herself photographed ‘without a stitch of make-up or retouching’ on the May cover of
Marie Claire magazine. She is quoted as saying: "I don't have anything to prove anymore… What other people think of me is not my business.
This might be taking things a little too far on the other end of the spectrum, as when we want to look great in a photo, we will take the time to look good beforehand – on that note, Mashile also pointed out that there’s considerable ‘pre-image manipulation’ that goes on in a photo shoot before the photo is even taken, as make-up is placed on stretch marks and blemishes, and lighting is strategically placed to enhance certain features.
Artwell Nwaila, Creative Editor of
COUP and Newsclip’s Publishing Division, is anti-air brushing as a whole, as he feels it takes away from the art of true photography. “Besides the fact that airbrushing makes one look ‘plastic’, airbrushing sets an unrealistic bar for the reader to reach physically. It is correct to assume that consumers expect airbrushed models on their publications, and yes, they do sell, but photographers and designers need to find the line between removing spinach from your teeth and completely overhauling a face.”
Nwaila adds that in the early years of
Rolling Stone magazine, beautiful raw images set the trend for magazine covers – we now live in a society where ‘perfect’ is the bar. He adds, “If the photographer is any good, there should not be need for major ‘photo plastic surgery’. Maybe that’s where the problem starts…”
What are your feelings on this topic? Do you agree that air brushing sets unrealistic expectations, or is it just part of ‘the nature of photography’? Please share your thoughts on our
blog.