So, the Catwalk Queen posted a post on airbrushing software being available on teen fashion websites and whether this was a good idea or not. I would have simply typed a comment, but my response to it was a little long for just the comment section, so I left an abbreviated version in the comments section and decided to expand over here. Because. I. can.
Now, this airbrushing business....
I think it just reinforces how fake everything is, and that this perfection we see in magazines is due to skilled photoshoppers and does not exist in the real world. It's almost empowering to see how you too can look like those "photos" in magazines, and those before and after shots show that those stars have imperfections too.
Also, in response to Julia's comment, I don't see why someone would see an airbrushed photo as something to aspire to unless they specifically airbrush it to use for that purpose. Even if they know their airbrushed it, many people will airbrush it to a point where they feel it looks like them (or their view of themselves.). These people probably do not have low self esteem though, and perhaps that's because they do see themselves as a "perfect version" of themselves. (Of course, this could start a lovely philosophicle discussion on what DO we really look like? Do we look the same to everyone's eyes? Can we ever truly see ourselves since even reflective surfaces like mirrors distort?)
As someone who takes horrible photos that really don't look like me, I do end up airbrushing a bit sometimes, such as airbrushing distracting shine out, sometimes weird shadows or spots from the image. (Yes, I do airbrush a bit sometimes but rarly and I'm sure those of you with better eyes than my nearsighted ones have perhaps seen the extent of my amateur photoshopping in PSP.) I've even smoothed out some odd wrinkles in clothes that were made more prominent in the photo than it was to the human eye. Cameras naturally distort, depending on the angle of the shot, lighting, etc. Sometimes, airbrushed or photoshopped pictures are closer to the real thing.
Take the picture on the top of this post for example, obviously photoshopped together. (Click on it for a bigger view) One me is even flipped. Look how distorted the middle image is, which just came out like that with no photoshopping done to it.
As for my background, I'm a person with high self esteem trapped in someone with low self esteem's body; i.e. while I have high self-esteem inside and certainly won't let anyone abuse me, my actions such as my shyness suggest otherwise. Plus, this shy low-self esteem and high self-esteem tend to switch often in being dominant in me to the point where I say that my reaction to something depends on the position of the moon and stars and the alignment of the planets.
I wore oversized jackets and sweaters (in 100+ degree farenheit heat) all through junior high and the early years of highschool. (For the first part of that phase, I wore oversized comfy clothes, but then I started wearing cute outfits but covering them with these oversized jackets because, well, fear and that low self esteem and even a little self loathing. I do think all those horrible pictures had soemthing to do with it too.) But, then I started seeing how all the magazines were airbrushed, and the stars really didn't look like that. (And well, other stuff too.) That helped me see how beautiful (that high self esteem peaking out again) I really was, so the oversized jackets and sweatshirts were ditched. And that lead to the steady grow of my confidence that I could wear anything I wanted and I wouldn't get stoned or something that really started happening in my senior year of highschool. (Like, last year.)
Not trying to attack anyone, just expressing my opinion straight from my head, and I will say that this airbrushing thing is really a double edged sword since people will take it and use it different ways, either as a postive thing or a negative thing.
Got your own opinion? Leave a comment here and/or over at Catwalk Queen. (I really just love these queens, don't I?)
My outfit: Click the pic for info
Keep the peace,
Ivy Frozen
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