It’s no secret that the media use airbrushing. It’s been happening for years but I recently came across this video and was shocked to see just how much Photoshop is capable of. Of course the models used in magazines are naturally stunning but it’s frightening how much they can change a person.
Right from the get go we are born into a society where we are constantly comparing ourselves against others. Every click of a button, every turn of a page we survey the celebrity world and think to ourselves “she’s prettier” or “she’s taller” or “why doesn’t my hair look like that?” So much so that when we look in the mirror, instead of seeing who we are, we see who we’re not.
Photographer, Sarah Brimley reveals the extreme airbrushing requests she receives from celebrities “They’ll say can you make my nose a different shape or make me slimmer. It happens with almost every celebrity photograph. The most common request is to make the waist go in a bit or make the legs longer” (BBC, 2013). It seriously angers me that the general public (young girls especially) believe that these people actually look like that when in reality, they don’t. Airbrushing is creating impossible expectations. No one’s hair is that glossy, no one’s skin is that flawless and no one’s figure is that incredible. Models in magazines and mannequins in shops – that body is not achievable. I admit that I often look through magazines or blogs and wish I had Scarlett Johansson’s body or Cheryl Cole’s hair but the thing is, I bet they do to. People need to realise that even the girl in the magazine doesn't look like the girl in the magazine. We have become so obsessed with this perception of beauty that we've even started to use post-production techniques on ourselves. That selfie you posted on Instagram last week, did you put a filter on it first? The answer is probably yes. I can remember doing this from such a young age (back in the days of Myspace). I would never dream of posting a picture of myself online before every blemish had been erased to the point where i looked like a plastic doll. I am ashamed to look back at those images now but it shows just how obsessed and cautious we are with how we present ourselves to the world.
Society is putting so much pressure on young girls to look ‘perfect’. If you're not a size zero, you're fat and if you don't have gorgeous blonde locks, no one is going to find you attractive. The Apple App Store is full of diet and fitness plans but when scrolling though, one in particular stood out to me. 'Quick Diet - Celebrity' (Lose weight like a Star and get a Supermodel body). The aim of this app is not to make women feel comfortable in themselves but to create thousands of stick thin Kate Moss lookalikes. As a result, young girls are essentially starving themselves to keep as thin as their celebrity role models. However, this may not be necessary due to an even more ridiculous new app called 'Skinneepix'. As if there wasn't already enough pressure to be thin, we now have an app specifically for shaving 15 pounds off our selfies. Soon enough, social media will be full of unrealistic, skinny-fied images, making people feel even more under pressure to conform to the "ideal" body image.
Thankfully, it’s not just me who is sick to death of seeing stick insects with lollipop heads on every page. A whole host of young Hollywood stars have shared their views on the issue. Harry Potter star, Emma Watson has recently spoken about the “dangerously unhealthy” image the fashion industry projects and the pressure to look good on young girls. She said "As a younger woman, that pressure got me down, but I've made my peace with it. With airbrushing and digital manipulation, fashion can project an unobtainable image that's dangerously unhealthy. I'm excited about the ageing process. I'm more interested in women who aren't perfect. They're more compelling" (GLAMOUR, 2014).
Pretty Little Liars actress’ Ashley Benson and Troian Bellisario also took to Twitter and voiced their opinions to a devoted following of teenage girls…
For me, it’s Jennifer Lawrence who is the most inspirational young actress around at the moment. The 23 year old is considered in Hollywood as a “fat actress”. She is by no means fat or even slightly chubby for that matter so you can imagine how that makes girls feel about their own bodies, myself included. In an interview with Elle magazine, Lawrence said “I eat like a caveman, I’ll be the only actress in Hollywood who doesn’t have anorexia rumours. I want to look like a woman, I don’t want to look like a little boy.”
Being a victim of Photoshop on many occasions, Lawrence stands up for herself and fights for what she believes in. She has spoken out to let girls know that it's okay to be who you are and you don't need to change for anybody.
Sources...
BBC (2013) What does it feel like to be airbrushed? [WWW] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24522060
GLAMOUR (2014) Emma Watson slams "dangerously unhealthy" pressure on women [WWW] Available from: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/celebrity/2014/03/31/emma-watson-on-pressure-young-women-ageing-airbrushing
ELLE (2012) [WWW] Avilable from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N7QpoSdFcc
