Photoshop vs Standard of Beauty

Have you ever used Adobe Photoshop before? Do you know how to use it and how it works in advertising? Adobe Photoshop is an amazing software which can assist us on creating, editing, and re-editing photos. It is quite straightforward and simple to handle, you can use several tools to add, edit or remove objects in the photo. Plenty of advertisements used Photoshop to remove the blemish from the background or even from the body and face of the model in the photo. Model can be perfectly modified to become slim, pretty, and young-looking without any real risks if used Photoshop editing. Although Photoshop is an incredible editing software, it still has some drawbacks which may mislead audience.

In advertising industry especially, they overuse Photoshop to make the advertisements perfect. They edited the background of the surrounding to stand out the model or products. They also removed blemishes from the face of the model, such as pimples, wound or scar. They even reshaped the body of the model from looking fat to “slim”. Since many products, especially diet food and fitness products, would like to have a huge sales, they may use some comparison method. The most commonly used way is to compare the photos of “before and after” to persuade audiences to purchase. However, we cannot see the full diet process of those models, so it is difficult to prove that the effectiveness of those products is real. Although the advertisement may be an absolutely true story from a user, we still cannot obviate that the advertisement is edited by Photoshop before it has released on television or other social media platforms. The reason is that because everyone wants to be perfect if they have an opportunity on becoming an advertisement model. They would request to be as beautiful as their idols or superstars. Thus, when doing a post-production edition, editor may do the editing as I mentioned above. As a result, it may sound like a ‘win-win situation’ between the model and the company. The editor uses Photoshop to edit photos so that the model can look perfect. On the other hand, the company could have more evidences to persuade their target audience to purchase their products and become their loyal customers once they believe the advertisement.

In order to remind all consumers about how the advertisement may deviate from the reality, there are some videos and photos posted by various companies and models, showing the power of Photoshop. A time-lapse video is an example which shows how a make-up free model with baby fat and freckle on her face turned up into a perfect model by hair and make-up artist and also Photoshop editing. The result is that she looks like a cover girl that we usually see on magazines.
“Body Evolution — Model Before and After”

Another example video is released by Jesse Rosten, it is an unrealistic commercial which sells beauty products. It starts with a couple of comparison photos which demonstrate the magical experience to models. In addition, it illustrates that this beauty product can assist everyone become celebrity and this is also the secret of beauty industry. This is ‘Fotoshop’ (Photoshop). Utilising the beauty products produced by ‘Fotoshop’, everyone can be perfected while it without any expense and surgeries. However, the consequence is that you may look like “plastic”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_vVUIYOmJM

Moreover, Cameron Russell, a model who appeared in various magazines, she also proves that the bodies of model in the photos are mostly edited by Photoshop. Thus, they look slim and perfect. Before the advertisement release, there is a group of professionals include pre-production team and post-production team. They tried to build up an image that fit in with the product, thus they may retouch photos of the body and face of the model. But this is not what the model actually looks like and they may not get happier after editing. This can be also proved by some women who like the before image rather than the after one. Due to our own identity and characteristic, we are unique.

Furthermore, imperfection is not a problem as Lorde, a New Zealand singer-songwriter illustrates. Everyone is an independent human being, no one can comment on your body or face. However, as advertisements spread quickly, it is effortless to set a standard on how a girl or woman should look like, for instance they are skinny and have flawless skin. Adolescent girls are easy to be motivated after they believe skinny with flawless skin is the standard of beauty. They will try different methods to look like their idols, but most of them used a wrong way and as a result they may get anorexia, binge eating disorder or other diseases. Unfortunately, there is no way to be like them due to they are all edited by Photoshop. Besides, “a piece of pizza” can transform into a cover girl by Photoshop thus do we really need to live under a standard of “perfect”?

Click this link → http://www.diyphotography.net/college-humor-takes-poke-photoshop-timelapsing-result-pizza/

Although Photoshop is a trend that people use it to create, edit or retouch the photos, is it necessary to make a huge different to the model’s body? Is it possible to make it natural which use their original body and face as well while selling a product?
I understand that it is impossible to band Photoshop to be used in advertising, but what we concern is how to use it properly rather than abuse it.

References

Cameron Russell. 2012. “Cameron Russell: Looks aren’t everything. Believe me, I’m a model.”
https://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_russell_looks_aren_t_everything_believe_me_i_m_a_model

DL Cade. 2014. “Women Given Photoshop Transformations Say They Prefer Their Before Images.”
http://petapixel.com/2014/02/15/women-given-photoshop-transformations-far-prefer-pictures/

Jesse Rosten. 2012. “Fotoshop by Adobé.” YouTube video, posted Jan 9. Accessed March 22, 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_vVUIYOmJM

Lorde. 2014. “Lorde Found A Photoshopped Photo Of Herself And Decided To Tweet An Untouched Real One Next To It”
http://www.upworthy.com/lorde-found-a-photoshopped-photo-of-herself-and-decided-to-tweet-the-untouched-real-one-next-to-it?g=2&c=ufb1

President of the World. 2012. “Body Evolution — Model Before and After.” YouTube video, posted May 22. Accessed March 22, 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17j5QzF3kqE

Udi Tirosh. 2014. “COLLEGE HUMOR TAKES A POKE AT PHOTOSHOP TIMELAPSING, RESULT IS…. PIZZA.”
http://www.diyphotography.net/college-humor-takes-poke-photoshop-timelapsing-result-pizza/