Twiggy Tuesday: Real Bodies

You've probably seen these photos of Kim Kardashian posted on the internet last week. (I took the liberty of making her little suit thing a little more modest. My blog is G rated.) If you're not familiar with this "scandal," I'll give you a quick run down. Kardashian posed for Complex magazine. Complex accidentally posted an unretouched photograph on its website, which is the picture you see here on the left. When the magazine caught its mistake, they posted the retouched photograph (on the right) later in the day. 

As a photographer familiar with the powers of photoshop, I found this to be an educational and disturbing example of how much bodies can be altered by retouching software. It makes me wonder why we continue to seek perfection in our own bodies when it's all just a mirage. Even models and celebrities' bodies are not perfect--they've only been photoshopped to seem so! It also brings into question how much stock you can put in products or programs that claim to make you skinnier or prettier. A "before" picture can be altered in minutes to a perfect "after" picture relatively easily with photoshop. That's why I have to laugh when I see ads for wrinkle creams or cellulite cures. Those things are better ads for Photoshop than beauty products.

 

Let's look at what's been "fixed" on Kardashian:   

Kardashian's skin on her thighs has been smoothed and a bit of hair on her forehead removed. Her right arm and thighs are slightly skinnier on the after picture as well. Her waist and tummy have been smoothed and skinny-fied. And I guarantee that if she had any blemishes or mottled skin on her face, those have been removed too (I just can't see them when I enlarge at this resolution.) In addition, her clothing has been altered to appear perfect, no wrinkles or floppy fabric in sight (look at the edge of her suit on the right leg and at the bustline). Consider also that a crew of make-up artists and hair and clothing stylists worked on her even before the picture was taken, and that the photographer and her assistants lit the whole scene and posed Kardashian to highlight her good points. And of course, there's always the possibility she's had some plastic surgery. 

I think we all know that photoshopping model and celebrity images is standard practice. So why do we continue to demand that our own bodies match up? It seems that even Kardashian gets depressed when she looks in the mirror and doesn't look as good in reality as she did in print. Case in point: When the before pictures hit the internet,it seemed like Kardashian was comfortable with her real body. On the ET website, she was quoted as saying, "So what: I have a little cellulite. What curvy girl doesn't!?" But then, when I linked to her blog, she quickly backtracked, claiming that she was "gearing up" for a fitness DVD. "You should see my thighs now," she said. "This all motivates me to stay in the gym because my goal this year has been to get in better shape and tone up!" she added. And then, to top it all off, Kardashian tried to say that really, she likes her body: "I'm proud of my body and my curves and this picture coming out is probably helpful for everyone to see that just because I am on the cover of a magazine doesn't mean I'm perfect."  But I don't believe that she loves herself all the more for it. If she did, why would she point out--almost apologetically--that she was working hard to tone her thighs? 

So what is reality? The reality is that more of us look like celebrities than we realize. We just haven't been retouched. Yet for some reason, everyone thinks they have too much of one body part or not enough of another. The real trick is to love ourselves the way we are right now, to really believe that bulges are beautiful and cellulite is sexy. Unfortunately, that is one thing that cannot be photoshopped into us.  

 

Comments

[Morgan (Your sister Julie's neice!)]

This post is amazing!!!

It made me realize that I probably am more beautiful than most celebrities, and that I also and probably better off because i love myself how I am!

It just makes me really sad that the media makes us live up to something that doesn't even exist!

All girls need to know this!

[MaryB]

I just thought of something else. Everyone should watch the movie, Penelope. It's a little dorky but the message is strong. Love yourself and the body you've been given! :)

[Lindy Baker]

I like this!!!! Thanks for disecting it for me. You are great!

[MaryB]

Thanks for this reminder! I try real hard not to pay too much attention to how "good" famous people look and I try to remind my girls that it's all fake...but sometimes I need extra reminders...especially when my own body seems to be rejecting my efforts at getting fit and healthy!