You can’t flip through a magazine nowadays without seeing the flawless, airbrushed faces and bodies of models and celebrities. In most cases, these ladies (and men) are airbrushed to look like a more polished version of themselves, but every now and then the re-touchers go a little crazy with their Photoshop skills. Exhibit 1: Kimora Lee Simmons. Kimora is gorgeous and “fab” and all of that on her own, but this looks like they pasted her head on someone else’s body! Exhibit 2: Airbrushed babies! It’s a little ridiculous when a baby’s arms are retouched, no?
Images like these are everywhere. As adults, we understand that they have been altered, but even then the pressure to look a certain way is always present. Can you imagine what it’s like for young girls? In the back of my closet I have an old box of full of letters and diaries from my teenage years. I looked through it a few months ago and came across a diary full of weights and body measurements (among other exceedingly more embarrassing things). I honestly don’t remember keeping track of my weight when I was 12, but apparently I did! It makes me sad for my younger self. I want to go back and tell her that worrying about that stuff is a waste of time. That she is wonderful and sparkly, even with those awful braces (sparkly, indeed) and that really (really) bad hair cut. That she’ll learn about the magic of hair products soon and that her short legs will take her to great places in the years to come.
Sadly, I think the pressure on young girls to be thin and “beautiful” is even greater today. The Photoshopped models that they see in magazines and on television don’t help. Do I think that airbrushing should be banned? No. I think that’s unrealistic, and I acknowledge that some of it is necessary. But I do like what magazines like French Marie Claire and Marie Claire are doing by including airbrush-free photos in their recent issues. We can all do our part by being better role models to our sisters, cousins, nieces and daughters. If there is a young girl in your life, tell her how great she is. You just might make her day.
- Eunice
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Labels: Body Image, Eunice
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Eunice - nice post and a great reminder to always remember how beautiful women are period.