Photo Manipulation on Hiatus in the Media.

The fact that photo manipulation has reached such an extreme degree is evidence of how unattainable society’s standards of beauty are. If famous supermodels are being tweaked and altered through Photoshop, imagine how imperfect we would be perceived by the media! In fact, I hardly think that there’s anyone in the world who naturally lives up to the unattainable standards of the media. Everyone – tall, short, fat, slim, dark, pale – would be manipulated through Photoshop regardless of their original appearance. This just goes to show that nothing short of flawless is acceptable in today’s society. In the past, the media has done nothing to change this problem except to further aid and abet the artificiality of what’s broadcasted to the public. Not only does this discourage the person whose photo was manipulated, but it also sends out a negative message to the viewers. Although we’re all aware of the fact that anything broadcasted in the media must have been fixed and manipulated before being put out there, how many of us actually think of that when we see a beautiful face on a poster? How many of us actually remind ourselves that the models we see aren’t as perfect as they appear? And most importantly, how many of us instantly feel worse about ourselves as we flip through one flawless face after another? I’m sure nine out of ten people are dissatisfied with their own appearance, and this discontent is most likely a result of what they see in the media. Now, photo manipulation has reached such popularity that photos are being exaggerated to ridiculous extents. To be honest, I’m doubtful as to whether that’s a good thing or not. It’s unfortunate that the standards of beauty are becoming so unachievable that the alterations made are actually incredibly obvious, but at least now, we’re given the knowledge that what we see in the media really isn’t the reality.

I think the photoshoot was a great way to aware the public of the difference between appearance and reality, but do I think the idea will stick? – Not really. It’s something innovative and fresh that will catch the attention of viewers, and there’s no doubt about it that people will look and applaud its attempt at delivering a positive message. But when it comes down to purchasing a product, which one will they buy? The shirt modeled by someone beautiful and thin, or the shirt worn by the average everyday girl? In trying to model ourselves as closely to today’s standards of beauty as possible, I’d say most of us – if not all – would choose the first shirt. We know that the first model has most likely undergone a great deal of photo manipulation, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to look the same. It’s human nature to be constantly dissatisfied and in search for something greater, which is why a regular looking model would never appeal to us. There would be nothing to entice us into purchasing the product if the end result was as regular and plain as the model who was displaying it.


Honestly, it doesn’t bother me much when I flip through magazines and see nothing but flawless faces. Maybe I’ve become immune to the fact that only perfect faces are sufficient for the pages of a magazine, but I don’t think too much of it, nor does it discourage me in any way. I’ve just accepted the truth – or lie – that there are incredibly beautiful people in the world, and that I’m much too far from their standards of beauty that I dare not compare myself to them. In fact, I actually look forward to the exaggerated ‘glam’ that we see in magazines. Just the same, I would enjoy flipping through a magazine with regular faces instead of the photoshopped ones we’re familiar with, but there’d be nothing to aspire to – nothing that would leave us in awe or admiration.

(I LOVE PATRICK CHAN AND ALL, but you've gotta admit he's not much without the help of photoshop.. D:)