I don't read Redbook magazine. And I am aware that this sort of editing and photoshopping is the standard on, I suppose now, all of the covers that are displayed in all their glossy glory at supermarket checkout lines across the country. But, it's because Redbook has been the sort of magazine I associated with middle aged housewives, as opposed to anorexic fashionista wannabe's, that this particular cover photo caught my eye:
I followed the internet trail to the website where it originated and was simply aghast. The larger flashing image between before and after shows in stunning clarity how much work was put into making an already beautiful woman look like an uber-slim, overly made-up bizzaro being. There is even a laundry list of the specific changes made (ahem - arms drawn in, hair added, hand removed, to name a few...)
(A small warning though, the language at this site is, at times, offensive.)
6 Comments:
This is why people on fashion mag covers look bad to me, but little girls are told this is the only way to look, only they can't because no one can.
Don't read beauty magazines, they only make you feel ugly. (From a list of life rules attributed to Vonnegut.)
That's really depressing. Am I the only one who thinks she looked MUCH friendlier, prettier, and more approachable in the before picture?
Oh. my. word. How did you find this?!
Amazing! I can't believe they took an already gorgeous woman and turned her into a freakishly thin (and fake!) reminiscence of a person! Geez. h
This is sure an eye opener Mella! Think about how it must make particular cover model feel to know that though beautiful, she is not beautiful enough to simply be shown as herself on the cover...never quite good enough. No wonder they get so much plastic surgery in Hollywood!
I'm not sure why this particular picture bothered me so much - I mean, the obvious, that it was a reminder of how glossed over and fake much of what is presented to us is.
In some small way, it made me feel sane, less critical of my own appearance. And, I am with you Skye - I think she looks happier, friendlier and approachable in the original picture. And she's a country musician and mother of three, isn't that what she *should* look like? Not like some sort of sexied-up glamazon?
I read a statement from the editor that all of their alterations were well within regulation standards and that they're seeking to find how the original got leaked.
And you're right, Susanna, no wonder Hollywood elites wind up going under the knife so often - they're constantly trying to live up to the unhuman standards that other people create for them.
(Oh, and this is where I explain how I found the picture in the first place - it all comes back to football. Patriots training camp is starting, and I know that Tom Brady's expecting his baby to be born any day now. I did a search for Tom Brady and baby, looking for either news on the birth, or for news about how it might or might not affect his arrival to camp. I found a relevant story on a site devoted to celebrity pregnancies, parents and children - and the article on Faith was there as well - as she is a mother herself - the links followed from there to the original story, and the links I posted here...)
Thanks for finding this. In studying media the past two years and raising two girls, I find this a terrible cultural path - unhealthy to the extreme. I've linked to you in writing about this -- thanks for picking up on it and adding opinions and making this problem more widely known by blogging about it.
Thank goodness for alternative media that can show the flip side of things.
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