The Effects of Photoshop on Society

[fraiseap]

And if you ask me, they're idiots for it. It's easy to focus on the detail - and of course you have to - but a necessary requirement for any artist should be able to travel between a detail-oriented and a holistic view.

I totally agree. I like my photographs to show what I am seeing during the shoot, not some idealised version of it. But I have just flicked through the Jan edition of UK Vogue and, excluding the paparazzi style and catwalk shots, I got to page 100 without seeing a single image that did not look obviously photoshopped.

 

[Lanbim Cord]

i have no problem with photoshop! it can be pretty useful sometimes,but what i don't like about it,is that they are over use it in make up campaigns!!!you can't eved read her facial expressions!!it's just bad!

 

[Eterna]

L'Oréal's Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington ad campaigns banned
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/27/loreal-julia-roberts-ad-banned
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...rts-banned-airbrushing.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

I heard this in the photoshop disasters' thread, thanks to jml2 and coco24 I think the news fits well here.

 

[rosiecheeks]

Photoshop or retouching are a necessary evil. On one hand you can't really blame anyone for using it; because if I were a company selling clothes or make up, you want to make them look as good as possible, and where the lighting, the model or the make up has failed you fill in the gaps. A little, a lot, or just too much.
On the other hand, even if we KNOW that what we see isn't real, it somehow affects me still. I notice that whenever I read lots of magazines or see a lot of photos of shows with their great lighting and thinner than thin girls, I start to be much more insecure. Even though I know that it is a lot of fake and enhancement that makes them look that good.

That's how I feel, but I do not have a definitive answer as to what one should do about this..

 

[iluvjeisa]

Photoshop or retouching are a necessary evil. On one hand you can't really blame anyone for using it; because if I were a company selling clothes or make up, you want to make them look as good as possible, and where the lighting, the model or the make up has failed you fill in the gaps. A little, a lot, or just too much.
On the other hand, even if we KNOW that what we see isn't real, it somehow affects me still. I notice that whenever I read lots of magazines or see a lot of photos of shows with their great lighting and thinner than thin girls, I start to be much more insecure. Even though I know that it is a lot of fake and enhancement that makes them look that good.

That's how I feel, but I do not have a definitive answer as to what one should do about this..

I guess the problem is that it's their job to make the ads look appealing. It's simply not appealing to see the same idiotic filter, the same silly tricks over and over.

 

[rosiecheeks]

I guess the problem is that it's their job to make the ads look appealing. It's simply not appealing to see the same idiotic filter, the same silly tricks over and over.

What tricks exactly?

 

[tigerrouge]

We look to the pages of fashion magazines for fantasy, but it used to be that those effects were created by experience and skill - with lighting and angles - and constrained by other things - such as time and cost of film - and from that combination of factors, pictures were produced that had some degree of spirit and soul. Even when visual perfection was achieved, there was still a sense of connection with the person in the shot.

These days, everything can be created so cheaply, that it's become a plastic world of disposable imagery, where you can take a thousand shots without having to think too much about it, and piece together body parts until you get the picture you desire, post-processing all signs of imperfection from people until you end up with a fantasy world so flat, it diminishes imagination.

 

[CholoChic]

I think Photoshop starts when you wash your face and there is a long way to make a precious picture so when we see Maria Antoniette paint we have to think that she was "photoshoped" by her artist.

 

[domenica]

I know this isn't exactly Photoshop, but the use of Facetune is so widespread these days. Almost every girl I know at school facetunes herself before posting the picture on Instagram. You don't even have to be technically proficient to alter your body in a photograph any more - you just need to download a free app. I believe Beyoncé and Kim K were two celebs who were accused of facetuning their photos (badly). You could see the distortions in the background, like curved/wavy steps and walls.

These days, any girl with an iPhone can make herself look model thin. At school, it's kind of shocking sometimes to run into girls I follow on Instagram and realize they are actually 5-15 pounds heavier than they make themselves look online. It also must give them so much anxiety when their friends upload pictures that they haven't gotten to edit themselves in, so they have to detag themselves. It's just a lot, and I wonder how all of this affects the girls' body images. There should be a medical term for this lol. Social media body dysmorphia?

I'm 100% sure Instagram "models" do it too, and the worst is when they preach fitness, healthy eating, body acceptance and self-love, when really they are distorting what they really look like. This just adds to the unattainable standard of beauty and because their reach is so wide, a lot of their followers who are often young girls must feel really insecure: "I'm following all of her healthy eating and workout tips but I'm still not as thin/fit as her! Maybe it's just my body type and I have to push myself harder than she does..." Natasha Oakley from @abikiniaday is guilty of this, although I believe she hires a professional retoucher as the quality of her photos are too high for it to be just Facetune. If you look at paparazzi pics of her online, you can see she's bigger and not as toned in real life. What annoys me is that she preaches about healthy living etc. when really, she just hires someone who is good at Photoshop.

 

[domenica]

Here's a Daily Mail article calling her out: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...rbrushing-Instagram-snaps-says-s-not-one.html

 

[iperlchen]

When I walk around my city, I see so many young girls taking selfies for instagram. I can hear their overly critical comments about their looks, because they want to 'get the shot right'. There's a big pressure to post about their visit and show their peers they are 'going places'. I remember watching that switch go on in society. It used to be only people in the fashion business that were self-conscious about that self-absorbed thing called 'personal branding', and then suddenly everyone was carrying around selfie sticks. I thought it would blow over, but it didn't. It has just gotten worse.

It seems that facetune + advocating a fitgirl/vegan lifestyle has become a standard template for quick instagram success. Women in their 20s are taking those ingredients in hopes of starting a digital career, with paid sponsors and free trips. They just look at other accounts and go like 'I could do that! Travel, organize my own time and make money doing things I like!'. Those that are blessed with lucky genes and a business mindset can make it, but they're presenting a more than hypocrite message to younger generations that will look to them for inspiration. And the cycle continues. I think however, there's not that much different from the time before social media and selfies. It's just that those built in 12 megapixel cameras are magnifying insecurities and teen angst, for the world to see. I'm sure there are just as many young kids that are smart enough to see things for what they are and separate themselves from it.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Here's a Daily Mail article calling her out: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...rbrushing-Instagram-snaps-says-s-not-one.html

"I know my angles"

Oh, please. Those aren't even her legs anymore. The difference is obvious even when she's fully clothed. It's visual fiction. She's the Danielle Steele of Instagram.

 

[Patricia 89]

That's a good post! I personally love retouching, but I try to avoid making people look 'fake' as muuuuch as I can