Natural Beauty or Fraudulent Airbrushing?
There's been a few disgruntled noises and shaking of fists by women complaining that the fashion magazines aren't a true representation of how "real" women look. I guess 
different people flick through the pages of magazines for different reasons. Some women buy magazines for the celebrity gossip. Some buy magazines for fashion ideas and many women buy magazines for light entertainment and a bit of escapism.
Working in a field where Photoshop is used all the time to manipulate images, I often take high end fashion photographs with a pinch of salt. I know that wrinkles are taken out, eye-colour enhanced, dark rings around eyes removed, stomachs flattened and thighs trimmed so I often flick through the mags just for light entertainment. The beautiful models don't phase me at all.
I'm not going to lie; I love fashion too which brings me endless joy while looking through the pages of magazines. I love clothes, bright colours, fabulous shoes and shiney & bright things. I'm not too concerned about "perfect models" or becoming hungry and stick-thin, therefore I'm not too depressed about seeing fake images of perfection. Even car adverts are manipulated to make a vehicle look more dynamic!
So the point I'm trying to make is this. I don't actually want to buy a magazine for £4 to see a woman with a saggy belly. This I can see for free when I look in the mirror on any given day. What I want to see is a photograph that I can't achieve at home with a little Sony digital camera. I want to see high glamour, loads of imagination and a completely stylised end-result.
I'm not stupid, I know most of these photographs are pure fantasy. They don't make me feel fat, inadequate, ugly or dissatisfied with my life. When I watch Pretty Woman, I don't daydream about being a prostitute who ends up getting together with a rich man who wants me to be his Mrs and we live happily ever after, it's pure fantasy, just like some of the pictures in Vogue!
Photographs: 20-year-old model in US edition of Glamour Magazine and Rihanna in Italian Vogue
different people flick through the pages of magazines for different reasons. Some women buy magazines for the celebrity gossip. Some buy magazines for fashion ideas and many women buy magazines for light entertainment and a bit of escapism.Working in a field where Photoshop is used all the time to manipulate images, I often take high end fashion photographs with a pinch of salt. I know that wrinkles are taken out, eye-colour enhanced, dark rings around eyes removed, stomachs flattened and thighs trimmed so I often flick through the mags just for light entertainment. The beautiful models don't phase me at all.
I'm not going to lie; I love fashion too which brings me endless joy while looking through the pages of magazines. I love clothes, bright colours, fabulous shoes and shiney & bright things. I'm not too concerned about "perfect models" or becoming hungry and stick-thin, therefore I'm not too depressed about seeing fake images of perfection. Even car adverts are manipulated to make a vehicle look more dynamic!
So the point I'm trying to make is this. I don't actually want to buy a magazine for £4 to see a woman with a saggy belly. This I can see for free when I look in the mirror on any given day. What I want to see is a photograph that I can't achieve at home with a little Sony digital camera. I want to see high glamour, loads of imagination and a completely stylised end-result.I'm not stupid, I know most of these photographs are pure fantasy. They don't make me feel fat, inadequate, ugly or dissatisfied with my life. When I watch Pretty Woman, I don't daydream about being a prostitute who ends up getting together with a rich man who wants me to be his Mrs and we live happily ever after, it's pure fantasy, just like some of the pictures in Vogue!
Photographs: 20-year-old model in US edition of Glamour Magazine and Rihanna in Italian Vogue
posted by August Mayfield at
16:11
8 Comments:
August, I think you're one of the lucky ones blessed with self esteem where you're not too concerned about the size issue and seeing beautiful women gracing the faces of our magazines, but unfortunately, I always feel that I'm under some sort of spell to look the part. I'd like bigger boots, a slimmer waist (slimmer all over I wish) and a prettier face so when I see "normal" women in magazines with flabby bellies, I'm relieved. I'd like to see more.
I always wish I looked like some of the models even though I know there's no chance.
Trisha K, Devon
I don't want to waste my money on magazines with women with their fat bellies hanging out. I buy magazines for the dream to aspire. I don't want to see shoes for 2.99, I don't want to see fat blokes, I don't want to see loads of ugly women/men and I don't want to see every day normal stuff. If I want to see that, I'll buy The Sun, The Daily MIrrow, News of the World and the other tabloids.
Rihanna looks hot. In your face Chris Bastard-Brown. You horrible m--------------f----------!
Cole Kingston JA
We need more women with the real look about them in magazines. I think magazines should cater for everyone. Size zero's for druggies like Kate Moss.
Hi Trisha,
I'm not entirely lucky because I do exercise. But I'm also blessed with the knowledge that beauty on the outside isn't the be all and end all. I don't want to get all Bhuddhist on you, but I firmly believe the inner-self is more important than the package it's wrapped in. That's why images don't keep me awake at night.
Trisha K, I bet if you start to think positive about you and life, a better perspective of life will be falling at your feet.
August
Her belly's just like mine! How scarry.
I belive it just comes down to learning the difference between fantasy and reality, and remembering that reality is often a lot nicer than whats not real!
Rose
This is loaded. I can't decide whether or not I want to see Jelly Bellies in the pages of magazines. I'm not sure I do.
Melanie Black
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