Monday, February 27, 2006

Airbrushing 101

So I stumbled upon this site. CLick on the before/after shots. Note that they made Nicole Ritchie, Jessica Biel, and Shania Twain SMALLER.

The before shots are fine. I just don't get it.

Edit: I do get it, but I will never understand why we're all supposed to look like dolls when no one looks like a doll.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've always known pictures were airbrushed, but seeing the before and after pictures... wow... are these pictures or paintings? Gravity defying breasts, shrinking limbs, and magic stretching skin... and people wonder why so many girls grow up with body image problems and eating disorders. If only they knew how rediculous cosmetics ads are.

L said...

Woah. Ditto everything joida said. This is interesting too - shows you the process step by step:


http://demo.fb.se/e/girlpower/retouch/retouch/index.html

TP said...

I love these retouching sites where you can see the before and after. People would only usually see the after and compare themselves negatively to it, if only they knew the hours of work the people put in to look the way they do, then the hours of work other people put in to airbrush everything else.

I wonder if they have to get permission from the model in the photos to show them. Good on the models etc to be comfortable letting them into the public arena. If only more people got to see them.

Anonymous said...

They take away the skin texture, visible bones, visible muscle, bodyfat...and we are left with something not human.

Clare said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Clare said...

Well, the other comment didnt post, but Ithink that my blog says it all.

I have to say, some of those men are REALLY old (especially john cusak) and some of those women are UGLY.
Really, if your neck and knees need to be airbrushed so that you dont look like footage from WWII, you need to eat.

Me said...

*sigh*. I don't know what else to say other than *sigh*.

lost clown said...

exactly anonymous. And they wonder why so many girls have eating disorders or unhealthy relationships to food.

Clare- it does indeed show how unhealthily skinny some of those people are.

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe the difference. That is ridiculous! I know I should be outraged by the body shots (and I am, don't get me wrong), but I have those annoying little baby bangs and in one of the shots they even took those out! So weird. I am not sure which person it was, but the picture is on page 2, second from the bottom on the left.

Thanks for posting this - I am totally forwarding the link to my 15 year-old sister right now!

Anonymous said...

What struck me most was the shots where they made the women skinnier. It made me think about how they must feel. I mean, body image is a huge problem for females in society; but how must it feel to be held up as the paragon and then see yourself in the mirror and not live up to the standard. I guess it's just another of the great side benifits of patriarchy.

Anonymous said...

That site certainly leaves an impression. Yikes.

Anonymous said...

What a great reminder of why we should all cancel our magazine subscriptions and stop caring about celebs.

mg

Anonymous said...

Here's another retouching model site, http://www.digitalpablo.com/portfolio.html

I'm sure I saw the 6th picture in a Roberto Cavalli ad a couple of years ago in Italy.

I'm sure it's the clients' requests that ask for these transformations.

Anonymous said...

No wonder our perception of beauty is disorted.

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