THE MEDIA

Picture Perfect

Airbrushing celebrity and model photos has become so common that it's a popular pastime for magazine readers to spot the digital manipulations. But have photo editors gone too far?

By Jessica Bennett | Newsweek Web Exclusive

May 2, 2008 | Updated: 3:54 p.m. ET May 2, 2008

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Posted By: petie @ 05/06/2008 7:23:11 PM

Comment: These magazines focus at girls as young as 8. The pictures are bad enough but they also have articles that are mature that little girls and young teens should never read. They are introduced to a destructive world view thru these articles on how they should look ,act and flirt and even things about boys and sex. Things they should never be introduced to at such a young age. Kids don't even know how to be kids anymore they are having them instead.
Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 05/06/2008 5:16:45 PM

Comment: What is all the fuss about? People are going to feel either good or bad about themselves regardless of what magazine "photos" show us. Only blind morons look at pictures of stars and try to look like them.

I'm a little overweight, but I'm happy. Who the heck cares what Brad Pitt looks like? He's probably not any happier than the overweight guys wanting to look like him.

The sooner people realize that self-image shouldn't have much to do with looks, the more satisfied they'll be with their bodies. Then people can move on to the important things, like having a good personality and outlook.
Posted By: Overhill @ 05/05/2008 10:54:52 PM

Comment: Emma Watson's photo on a "Harry Potter and the OotP" poster had been altered, with her breasts enlarged and her waist slimmed. Fortunately, the backlash came out before the posters were distributed. It was a cruel irony for whomever suggested it/approved it to do it to a character who is comfortable with her own skin, and it famous for her brains. Unfortunately, one of the European countries kept to the Photoshopped edition. (Source: http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/archives)
Posted By: GreatDane @ 05/05/2008 1:48:38 PM

Comment: Once again, I rejoice in being below average, as I read in the article how bad the average woman feels, how many ads the average kid will see, how many extra pounds the average person feels guilty about. This is all so silly. I wear size 16. I wouldn't recognize (un-retouched or not) any of the people mentioned in the article. That's one of the chuckles I also get when there's some hysterically-hyper-ventilating Hollywood media type trying to "tell what happen today" to so-and-so this week....and 9 times out of 10 I don't even recognie the name. Oh well. That's what comes from too much reading and living my own life. Just finished Blind Trust by John Nance about the deregulation of the airline industry (written in 1977--it'll still curl your toes)....also just finished Rogue Regime, re North Korea's recent history and horrendous realities today. I wonder how many who read those magazines would know who Kim Jong Il is and what he looks like? No wonder our country is such a confused and teetering mess. God have mercy on America.
Posted By: jath123 @ 05/04/2008 3:40:39 PM

Comment: My favorite is when a magazine or advertiser whitens a model's teeth so ridiculously much that the actual lines between the teeth are barely visible. I also remember a couple of years ago when a male TV celebrity (Patrick Dempsey maybe?) was on the cover of a major magazine... well his head was anyway. The editors just lopped off his entire body and put a model's body in its place! Waxed, of course. Sloppy foolish work by sloppy foolish people. Parents - keep your daughters away from these crap magazines, and get them into sports for a truly healthy concept of fitness and body. In the mean time, bring on the regulations. Madison Avenue advertisers are completely without moral compass (remember "heroin chic"?) and need a nice tight choke chain controlled by the rest of us.
Posted By: draftsman @ 05/04/2008 3:09:57 PM

Comment: I suspect that with easily aquired programs like Photoshop that we have entered a golden age of imagimg. Twenty years ago Kodak had over 147,000 employees no there is less than 30,000. Although according to the New York Times a Kodak engineer by the name of Sasson invented the digital camera they are almost too late in recognizing that their business was not film but imaging. No photograph can ever be trusted again as representing reality. The images of fashion publications and advertisers, indeed all published images should be regarded with doubt. It is too easy to make fiction out of fact.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 05/03/2008 7:23:46 PM

Comment: It is not weakness that drives someone into an eating disorder like anorexia. Anorexics are actually incredibly strong people who do not think they deserve many things in life, including food. They take care of others first and punish themselves for not being worthy enough, and also controlling food and weight gives them a feeling of power. They can ace tests, go to work and take care of others all while being undernourished and hungry. If anorexia were brought on by weakness, then more than 1% of the population would have it. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that requires treatment, not a 'fad' or a weakness.

I'm a long-distance athlete with anorexia so it's easy for me to hide it since runners are typically pretty thin anyway. I can tell you I didn't ask for this, I did not want this and skinny models did not cause this. I hate it, but there's another part of my brain overriding the logical one and that's the side that's winning. That's anorexia.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 05/03/2008 7:23:32 PM

Comment: It is not weakness that drives someone into an eating disorder like anorexia. Anorexics are actually incredibly strong people who do not think they deserve many things in life, including food. They take care of others first and punish themselves for not being worthy enough, and also controlling food and weight gives them a feeling of power. They can ace tests, go to work and take care of others all while being undernourished and hungry. If anorexia were brought on by weakness, then more than 1% of the population would have it. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that requires treatment, not a 'fad' or a weakness.

I'm a long-distance athlete with anorexia so it's easy for me to hide it since runners are typically pretty thin anyway. I can tell you I didn't ask for this, I did not want this and skinny models did not cause this. I hate it, but there's another part of my brain overriding the logical one and that's the side that's winning. That's anorexia.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 05/03/2008 7:23:23 PM

Comment: It is not weakness that drives someone into an eating disorder like anorexia. Anorexics are actually incredibly strong people who do not think they deserve many things in life, including food. They take care of others first and punish themselves for not being worthy enough, and also controlling food and weight gives them a feeling of power. They can ace tests, go to work and take care of others all while being undernourished and hungry. If anorexia were brought on by weakness, then more than 1% of the population would have it. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that requires treatment, not a 'fad' or a weakness.

I'm a long-distance athlete with anorexia so it's easy for me to hide it since runners are typically pretty thin anyway. I can tell you I didn't ask for this, I did not want this and skinny models did not cause this. I hate it, but there's another part of my brain overriding the logical one and that's the side that's winning. That's anorexia.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 05/03/2008 7:23:06 PM

Comment: It is not weakness that drives someone into an eating disorder like anorexia. Anorexics are actually incredibly strong people who do not think they deserve many things in life, including food. They take care of others first and punish themselves for not being worthy enough, and also controlling food and weight gives them a feeling of power. They can ace tests, go to work and take care of others all while being undernourished and hungry. If anorexia were brought on by weakness, then more than 1% of the population would have it. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that requires treatment, not a 'fad' or a weakness.

I'm a long-distance athlete with anorexia so it's easy for me to hide it since runners are typically pretty thin anyway. I can tell you I didn't ask for this, I did not want this and skinny models did not cause this. I hate it, but there's another part of my brain overriding the logical one and that's the side that's winning. That's anorexia.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 05/03/2008 7:22:09 PM

Comment: It is not weakness that drives someone into an eating disorder like anorexia. Anorexics are actually incredibly strong people who do not think they deserve many things in life, including food. They take care of others first and punish themselves for not being worthy enough, and also controlling food and weight gives them a feeling of power. They can ace tests, go to work and take care of others all while being undernourished and hungry. If anorexia were brought on by weakness, then more than 1% of the population would have it. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that requires treatment, not a 'fad' or a weakness.

I'm a long-distance athlete with anorexia so it's easy for me to hide it since runners are typically pretty thin anyway. I can tell you I didn't ask for this, I did not want this and skinny models did not cause this. I hate it, but there's another part of my brain overriding the logical one and that's the side that's winning. That's anorexia.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 05/03/2008 7:21:44 PM

Comment: It is not weakness that drives someone into an eating disorder like anorexia. Anorexics are actually incredibly strong people who do not think they deserve many things in life, including food. They take care of others first and punish themselves for not being worthy enough, and also controlling food and weight gives them a feeling of power. They can ace tests, go to work and take care of others all while being undernourished and hungry. If anorexia were brought on by weakness, then more than 1% of the population would have it. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that requires treatment, not a 'fad' or a weakness.

I'm a long-distance athlete with anorexia so it's easy for me to hide it since runners are typically pretty thin anyway. I can tell you I didn't ask for this, I did not want this and skinny models did not cause this. I hate it, but there's another part of my brain overriding the logical one and that's the side that's winning. That's anorexia.
Posted By: uncwrestlr @ 05/03/2008 6:10:40 PM

Comment: Generally, no, a size 14 is not normal. My ex-wife was 5'4 and was 110 lbs at her lightest and 135 at her heaviest. She was not an athlete. She could wear a size 3 at her smallest and a size 5 at her heaviest but because her hips were so wide, she could only actually wear a size 5 and 7, respectively. My current GF wears a size 3 and she just had her second baby 6 months ago but her hips are a lot smaller.

In regards to dress size, the size of one's hips does play a part but bear in mind, over a size 9 (depending on height mind you), one is starting to pack on excess pounds regardless of hip bone structure. If one is getting too wide, they are packing fat on top of the bones. The butt, then the hips and thighs are hardest and last place that a woman burns fat from. Also, the greater weight a woman works on her legs with during exercise can also cause a woman's thighs to grow in size. I woman's legs and abs can grow in size and strength equal to a man???s. It is their upper body that works at 30% less than a man. So ladies, if you are trying to slim in that area, less weight and more reps on the lower body and cardio.

I will note that I am not a huge fan of scales. I always tell women that want workout advice to throw away the scale. They are very misleading. What matters is what is in the mirror. I know this girl that was 5'5" and a solid 140 lbs - I mean she placed 5th in the Ms Ironwoman and had 2 kids. She was in excellent shape, very tone and strong but because of how much she weighed, she felt she was overweight, which was not the case. She had replaced fat for muscle, which weighs more. Since she had more dense muscle, she weighed more but looked fabulous and she wore a size 2 or 3.

People are going to believe want they want to believe and often point fingers somewhere else because by God, who???d be it for me to be at fault for my own heath, fitness and appearance levels. Granted, there are a few that have medical conditions but they are the small minority and some that actually have thyroid problems, get them after being overweight for some time and not the problem for causing the weight gain. So I reiterate, take an intrinsic look and evaluation of your own life and make the changes necessary for yourself. If you do not like what you see and how you feel physically and mentally, take the first step. It is not always easy to make change and it does take a time investment with consistency and discipline.

You will thank yourself for it in the end. Your kids and grand kids will thank you because you can be more active with them and live longer spending more time enjoying them. Your spouse will thank you and perhaps join you so you to can support each other during the process. Lastly, you will set a good healthy example for your kids and perhaps push them away from the mags.
Posted By: uncwrestlr @ 05/03/2008 6:10:33 PM

Comment: Generally, no, a size 14 is not normal. My ex-wife was 5'4 and was 110 lbs at her lightest and 135 at her heaviest. She was not an athlete. She could wear a size 3 at her smallest and a size 5 at her heaviest but because her hips were so wide, she could only actually wear a size 5 and 7, respectively. My current GF wears a size 3 and she just had her second baby 6 months ago but her hips are a lot smaller.

In regards to dress size, the size of one's hips does play a part but bear in mind, over a size 9 (depending on height mind you), one is starting to pack on excess pounds regardless of hip bone structure. If one is getting too wide, they are packing fat on top of the bones. The butt, then the hips and thighs are hardest and last place that a woman burns fat from. Also, the greater weight a woman works on her legs with during exercise can also cause a woman's thighs to grow in size. I woman's legs and abs can grow in size and strength equal to a man???s. It is their upper body that works at 30% less than a man. So ladies, if you are trying to slim in that area, less weight and more reps on the lower body and cardio.

I will note that I am not a huge fan of scales. I always tell women that want workout advice to throw away the scale. They are very misleading. What matters is what is in the mirror. I know this girl that was 5'5" and a solid 140 lbs - I mean she placed 5th in the Ms Ironwoman and had 2 kids. She was in excellent shape, very tone and strong but because of how much she weighed, she felt she was overweight, which was not the case. She had replaced fat for muscle, which weighs more. Since she had more dense muscle, she weighed more but looked fabulous and she wore a size 2 or 3.

People are going to believe want they want to believe and often point fingers somewhere else because by God, who???d be it for me to be at fault for my own heath, fitness and appearance levels. Granted, there are a few that have medical conditions but they are the small minority and some that actually have thyroid problems, get them after being overweight for some time and not the problem for causing the weight gain. So I reiterate, take an intrinsic look and evaluation of your own life and make the changes necessary for yourself. If you do not like what you see and how you feel physically and mentally, take the first step. It is not always easy to make change and it does take a time investment with consistency and discipline.

You will thank yourself for it in the end. Your kids and grand kids will thank you because you can be more active with them and live longer spending more time enjoying them. Your spouse will thank you and perhaps join you so you to can support each other during the process. Lastly, you will set a good healthy example for your kids and perhaps push them away from the mags.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 05/03/2008 5:24:27 PM

Comment: Stop blaming models for eating disorders. I have been living with anorexia and it wasn't skinny models that got me here, it was a desire for control in my life due to multiple stressful events and also poor self-worth. My anorexic brain uses the skinny model as one way to validate the disease, but it certainly did not cause it. Perhaps it is a trigger for some young women, but I guarantee there's more to it than that.

Not anyone can just 'become' anorexic anyhow. You already have to have a certain mindset to be vulnerable to the disease. Most anorexics are over-sensitive people pleasers who think of themsleves last, and that includes the taking of nourishment. It goes far, far deeper than wanting to look like models in a magazine. Just becaue someone is trying to become very thin like a model does not necessarily mean she will develop this disease. She'll probably see common sense and give up......with anorexia, we are powerless over common sense and logic.
Posted By: uncwrestlr @ 05/03/2008 4:55:28 PM

Comment: The reason why designers will only take models of one size is because they do not necessarily know who is going to be modeling their clothes not to mention, there are a lot of models at these shows. Designers want to make one dress size that works for all their models. I know when I was looking into modeling; I was told that all male models MUST have a six pack. To get that fit, it is not about starving oneself but watching their diet and working out. Women do not need to starve themselves to be healthy and thin and being thin alone, doesn???t mean you are healthy.
- Posted By: normalgirlusa @ 05/03/2008 17:36:39
  
  Comment: I guess designers think their clothes will look the same on size 1 models as size 10 normal women? It's as F'd up as promoting breast implants and then Vistoria's Secrets only selling bra's whose cups only go up to a C in their stores, even their models are double D's.
  
  The only think "BIG" that this industry and men like are the breasts. On two seasons of Project Runways, two models from each season passed out whilst waiting to put on the designers clothes and modeling them on the runway. It was from not eating and bolimia.
  
  It got so bad in Italy that the Gov't enacted a law that you cannot be under a certain size to model in shows there or your out. I believe the lowest was size 4. According to the American designers who do design and mass market their clothes, size 4 is considered "Fat".
  
  I'm 5'9 and actually wore a size 1 a few years ago when I was 42 and I was unable to have surgery because my blood pressure was too low. My doctor requested that I stop exercising and gain weight before I could get my breast cancer surgery done. I had to drink those big calorie drinks for about two months. Then at 43, I gained 35 pounds out of nowhere and got up to 187. I did eveything to lose the weight even to order diet drugs on the internet. My doctor refused to prescribe a diet pill because she did not consider me obese, but everyone else did. The diet pills ended up making me feel dizzy.
  
  All I'm saying is some women like me do exercise and eat healthy and it just isn't enough. My doctor told me that at my age, I would have to work out for 90 minutes a day to keep the weight off. Tell me who has time for that? I started 30 minute workout on my machine and 45 minute walks/run for a straight 3 months and lost only 3 pounds. It sucked and I felt hopless. Then when I found out my Thyroid crashed, I was hopeful that was the cause. The doctor the cause of this was due to my abuse of my body during my youth....in other words.....dieting. Like sunbathing causes skin cancer later in life.
  
  I'm just tired of the double standards in our society. Women have to be stick thin, big breast, perfect butts, perfect teeth and hair and....be a porn star in the bedroom. I don't however see the pressures to be perfect on men, except that it is encouraged that men have fat wallets too.
  
  Don't let this industry brain wash you into being unhealthy on the thin side. Don't let the men in your life brain wash you into being a slut who should perform in the bedroom either. Photo editing and the Porn industry is psychologically whipping and battering women and girls all over America into being what they perceive should be a perfect "woman" and slut, instead of a perfectly normal woman. They do it at any cost
  and I'll be damned if they brainwash my two daughters into that lifestyle. If you are skinny, have big breast and dress like a slut....your're a perfect woman. Is that what we want for our daughters?
  - Posted By: STUTHESTONER @ 05/03/2008 18:15:29
    
    Comment: " Is that what we want for our daughters?" - YES!!
    
    Ok, I kid. That's what we all want for your daughter's but clearly not our own! MY daughter better NEVER go down on a man, but my girlfriend better do it every morning. My daughter better NEVER hurt herself to be skinny, but my girlfriend better never fat or she'll be homeless!! It goes on and on.
    
    Hey, look...if your daugher falls for this crap, you have a weak daughter and there is a good chance that if it weren't this she was falling for, she would fall for something else. Simple fact - most folks are very weak-minded followers. Not a bad thing per se, it's just the genetic hand she was dealt.
    
    But I am beginning to think you are a liar, amigo. First it was baby fat. Then add in some thyroid problems. Now toss in some horrible porn industry people.
    First it was 30 minute workouts. Now you need 90 minute workouts according to the doctor because of your age (Ask a real doctor, age isn't the issue as we are all different and doctors tend to not generalize by age - particularly when it comes to what the body can handle.). Now it's also hopeless and useless 45 minute walks and runs.
    First you're obese and then you're not. Then you want drugs. Then, when noone else is listening - pitch in some breast cancer to draw some sympathy so someone will listen to your crap. DOES IT EVER END WITH YOU?
    
    I'm not trying to be hateful or hurtful, I'm pointing out that there is bunches in your empty rhetoric that calls your credibility into question and certainly makes you look like a giant liar with an axe to grind about some percieved slight you are having trouble dealing with. Perhaps the problem you have in life is less to do with the size of your hind quarters and more to do with that unbearable personality that is springing up throught your words?
    
    There is no double standard in society. You do not HAVE to be stick thin and have big ***. You just do not like what you see in the mirror (or perhaps a turd of a husband is floating around in that miserable sounding life of yours that doesn't like what he sees in the same manner that Wrestler-boy does not like to look at people he deems too fat for society and you hate yourself because HE hates you?).
    Relax. Be yourself. Like who you are and don't give a damn flying duck chucker what another soul in this world thinks about you and the inner beauty (if there is any - which, sadly, I'm having a hard time believing exists based on what you've written here today) will come shining through in magnificient glory.
    
    If everyone wears red to the ball, the fool in green stands out like a sore thumb. If everyone else is fat....
    
    Besides, consider this... Does ANYone like Jessica Simpson because she's smart? How would you rather be appreciated?
    
    Junk to think on...
Posted By: uncwrestlr @ 05/03/2008 2:49:17 PM

Comment: Good insight moesi
Posted By: moesi @ 05/03/2008 2:42:48 PM

Comment: Perhaps the issue is less to do with the thin models and more to do with the fact that Americans are getting fatter every year. In another article, the author (along with other authors) cited that 25 years ago the average model was 8% lighter than the average woman, yet today they are 23% lighter than the average woman. Could it be that the reason is not that models are getting thinner, but that the average woman is getting heavier? If the statistics about the average weight of Americans is any indicator, the answer would have to be yes. Even children under 10 are suffering from higher average weight and increased obesity. Of course they are wanting to be thinner. The problem is that parents are not setting the example for them and are also not keeping them fit due to poor family diet and exercise. It's a lot easier to blame the thin people (who are on average much more healthy than their obese counterparts) than it is to blame those who are simply overweight or obese and contributing to a significant rise in average weight. 26 years ago, only 4% of children were overweight, now the figure is well over 20%! 50% of women 20-74 years old are overweight or obese! That would seem to indicate that the average weight of a woman in this country is OVERWEIGHT. But its all the fault of magazines for depicting people as thin? You've got to be kidding. 33% of women in the US are obese. Not just overweight, but obese. The reason these models look so thin is that we are slowly accepting a different kind of "average person" in this country. The gap has widened, but it's not the fault of those who are implicated in this article. Over the last 25 years, the standards for the modeling industry have not changed, the changes are exclusively on the side of the average American and the fact that an unhealthily overweight American population would have to resort to claiming that the real problem is images of thin physique is absurd.
- Posted By: normalgirlusa @ 05/03/2008 14:51:46
  
  Comment: The standards for the modeling industry have changed dramatically over the past 25 years. My mother modeled and she was a perfect size 14 and then I modeled and I was a perfect size 8. Now they do not accept models who over size 1.
  
  If you have ever watched the reality show called Project Runway, you would have heard those designer wannabes make "fat" comments about the models who were size 2 or 4 and claimed because the model was fat, that their outfit would look bad to the judges.
  
  The average woman is size 14 and it has been that way for hundreds of years. It is normal. What isn't normal is the industry and their practices is brain washing us to believing that size 14 is abnormal. There must be something to this brainwashing......by the comments you posted. What do you call the increasing practice of Bolemia....normal?
Posted By: moesi @ 05/03/2008 2:42:00 PM

Comment: Perhaps the issue is less to do with the thin models and more to do with the fact that Americans are getting fatter every year. In another article, the author (along with other authors) cited that 25 years ago the average model was 8% lighter than the average woman, yet today they are 23% lighter than the average woman. Could it be that the reason is not that models are getting thinner, but that the average woman is getting heavier? If the statistics about the average weight of Americans is any indicator, the answer would have to be yes. Even children under 10 are suffering from higher average weight and increased obesity. Of course they are wanting to be thinner. The problem is that parents are not setting the example for them and are also not keeping them fit due to poor family diet and exercise. It's a lot easier to blame the thin people (who are on average much more healthy than their obese counterparts) than it is to blame those who are simply overweight or obese and contributing to a significant rise in average weight. 26 years ago, only 4% of children were overweight, now the figure is well over 20%! 50% of women 20-74 years old are overweight or obese! That would seem to indicate that the average weight of a woman in this country is OVERWEIGHT. But its all the fault of magazines for depicting people as thin? You've got to be kidding. 33% of women in the US are obese. Not just overweight, but obese. The reason these models look so thin is that we are slowly accepting a different kind of "average person" in this country. The gap has widened, but it's not the fault of those who are implicated in this article. Over the last 25 years, the standards for the modeling industry have not changed, the changes are exclusively on the side of the average American and the fact that an unhealthily overweight American population would have to resort to claiming that the real problem is images of thin physique is absurd.
Posted By: uncwrestlr @ 05/03/2008 2:17:33 PM

Comment: I understand that the retouching of photos has gone a little extreme but on the flip side, to compare percentage of thinness/weight to America's average is a joke. I have dealt with this issue since I got my Masters in Communication and listening to all the girls in my grad classes, all but two were 70+ pounds overweight, constantly stating that if someone is thin, regardless of sex, they have an eating disorder is pathetic and a copout . I was a college wrestler and I am still am in shape today, so by their logic, I still have an eating disorder and it is Hollywood and the media pushing that mantra. By the way, I have had five major joint surgeries on five different joints. If I want to mitigate problems in the future and maintain the active lifestyle I have, I have to maintain strong lean muscle which includes a regimen of working out and running and trust me, I do eat but my schedule doesn???t always allow me to eat the way I should. Also, working out is the true of fountain of youth. I am 35 put look like I am 25.

Just because the average American female is a size 14 doesn't mean they should be. 66% of Americans, men and women, are overweight but just because that is the American standard, doesn't mean it is healthy or correct. No person should ever be one fifth of their body weight fat. Yes, that means everyone should be less than 20% body fat. Women will say that is will stop their menstrual cycle which is not true; try getting below 10% and then that will happen.

It is unhealthy to have such a high body fat level which causes additional medical problems and shortness of life. Furthermore, high fat percentage takes a greater toll on the skeletal structure and this is more important for women as they age especially with their higher susceptibility of osteoporosis issues. More men are overweight as a whole (because the standards are different) but they do not obsess about it as much as women but that not is slowly changing as well.

In conclusion, I agree that print media is going over board a bit but I disagree with the American average standard as a comparison because those numbers are in the opposite direction wrong. Obese woman will always complain that it is the media comparison of beauty that is their enemy instead of looking within themselves to realize that overweight is generally not physically appealing but more so, very detrimental to their own health and physical and mental quality of life.

Honestly, the best way to combat such images is for parents to maintain a healthy standard of living since generally, 90% of child influence comes from the parents. So again, instead of always pointing fingers at everyone else, Americans need to take a hard look in the mirror and realize that a healthy lifestyle, with proper diet and physical exercise, is attainable. And with discipline, the successful results will be a healthier and more attractive you ??? and not for anyone else, but for yourself.
- Posted By: normalgirlusa @ 05/03/2008 14:39:15
  
  Comment: You are 35? When I was 35, I also excercised and ate carefully and had no problem losing 80 pounds of baby fat (had my first child at 33), but it took me 2 years to do it. When you hit the age of 42, you will start to notice changes in your body and your harmones. It gets harder and harder to keep weight off, even if you do work out. I'm 47 and work out 30 minutes on my eliptical machine and or walk/run 45 minutes a day and couldn't even drop 5 pounds.
  
  I went to the doctor, got a blood test amd discovered that my Thyroid crashed. He said it did not matter how mush I excercised or starved myself, my body is hanging on to my bodies fat. He put me on Thyroid medicine and I dropped 20 pounds the first month and lost more because of my exercise program.
  
  I can tell you that calling it an eating disorder was not the problem. It was my body changing. So it just isn't fair for you to put a blanket of a solution and expect it to work for all women. We are all different physiologically and we each have to find the right combination to stay healthy.
  
  The average woman being a size 14 is referring to the majority of women baby boomers who are now over the age of 40. But being underweight isn't the norm either and that is what these image enhancing practices are doing. Is there really a norm? Back in the beginning of the 20th century, being a size 14 was considered sexually attractive by men and the industry and skinny women were frowned upon. So this like the Global Warming propaganda, it was Global Cooling 30 years ago. It is called controlling the masses by images and messages to program us to believe something that isn't either possible or impractable to live by.
  - Posted By: cassandraparkes @ 05/05/2008 16:46:16
    
    Comment: Why on earth did you gain 80 pounds of 'baby fat'? Was it "harmones"? Your name certainly seems to be fitting 'normalgirlusa' -- always armed with an excuse for her inadequacy.
Posted By: uncwrestlr @ 05/03/2008 2:17:08 PM

Comment: I understand that the retouching of photos has gone a little extreme but on the flip side, to compare percentage of thinness/weight to America's average is a joke. I have dealt with this issue since I got my Masters in Communication and listening to all the girls in my grad classes, all but two were 70+ pounds overweight, constantly stating that if someone is thin, regardless of sex, they have an eating disorder is pathetic and a copout . I was a college wrestler and I am still am in shape today, so by their logic, I still have an eating disorder and it is Hollywood and the media pushing that mantra. By the way, I have had five major joint surgeries on five different joints. If I want to mitigate problems in the future and maintain the active lifestyle I have, I have to maintain strong lean muscle which includes a regimen of working out and running and trust me, I do eat but my schedule doesn???t always allow me to eat the way I should. Also, working out is the true of fountain of youth. I am 35 put look like I am 25.

Just because the average American female is a size 14 doesn't mean they should be. 66% of Americans, men and women, are overweight but just because that is the American standard, doesn't mean it is healthy or correct. No person should ever be one fifth of their body weight fat. Yes, that means everyone should be less than 20% body fat. Women will say that is will stop their menstrual cycle which is not true; try getting below 10% and then that will happen.

It is unhealthy to have such a high body fat level which causes additional medical problems and shortness of life. Furthermore, high fat percentage takes a greater toll on the skeletal structure and this is more important for women as they age especially with their higher susceptibility of osteoporosis issues. More men are overweight as a whole (because the standards are different) but they do not obsess about it as much as women but that not is slowly changing as well.

In conclusion, I agree that print media is going over board a bit but I disagree with the American average standard as a comparison because those numbers are in the opposite direction wrong. Obese woman will always complain that it is the media comparison of beauty that is their enemy instead of looking within themselves to realize that overweight is generally not physically appealing but more so, very detrimental to their own health and physical and mental quality of life.

Honestly, the best way to combat such images is for parents to maintain a healthy standard of living since generally, 90% of child influence comes from the parents. So again, instead of always pointing fingers at everyone else, Americans need to take a hard look in the mirror and realize that a healthy lifestyle, with proper diet and physical exercise, is attainable. And with discipline, the successful results will be a healthier and more attractive you ??? and not for anyone else, but for yourself.
- Posted By: STUTHESTONER @ 05/03/2008 17:01:12
  
  Comment: "It is unhealthy to have such a high body fat level which causes additional medical problems and shortness of life."
  I'm close enough to be considered 35 and I too was a wrestler in high school. I haven't worked out a single bit since then. I drink, I smoke, I toke up daily, I can still climb the 15 stories of stairs at my job without passing out, I'm 6'4" tall @ 240 pounds, and - like ALL of the rest of the people I know almost EXACTLY like me, I haven't had 5 major joint surgeries on five different joints. Seems your lack of weight is killing YOUR skeletal structure almost the same way your pompous, self-righteousness is killing my good mood.
  
  You, sir, sound like a real ditch-weed jerk at best.
Posted By: GOLDMARA @ 05/03/2008 2:14:00 PM

Comment: If you are a slave to fashion, then of course you will be pressured to attain a certain image. One should have one's own sense of style, because that is a reflection of who you are. Mothers should explain this to their daughters, even if it seems like it is just a phase. I always encourage my daughters to build on what they have and accept what they don't have. It might seem too easy to be true, but it is so. They have what they desire because by being different, they have become the trendsetters and that attitude will heed them all through their life. Be true to yourself first and you will be pleasantly surprised at how many people want to be like you.
Posted By: normalgirlusa @ 05/03/2008 2:05:18 PM

Comment: Thank you Jessica Bennett for helping expose these kinds of practices in the industry. As a teen, I also read Seventeen, and I also starved myself to look thin because I thpought I should look like these girls in that magazine. After getting married, having two children, my husband would make little comments about my weight. If I was eating something, he would say "Should you be eating that?'See not only does it harm women of all ages, it programs men into believing that all women should look like the girl in Playboy or on a pron site and perform that way too. They (men) do not either understand or accept the fact that these women are digitally enhanced and are ACTING! Well known psychologist have come out recently stating that the biggest problem in relationships is the unrealistic expectations of the guys who are so image programed by the Photoshope image and the unrealistic acting that these porn sights do, damage relationships.

One reality show "America's Next Top Model", claim they are accepting larger (Size 10) models but never have they won. The last girl that won was so unbearably skinny that I told my two teen daughters that she was sick and her illness caused her to look sickly thin. I had to resort to telling my girls lies to keep them from believing that being that thin will get them in a model magazine or a modeling contract.

I'm sick of the push by men and the industry to pressure woman into an unrealistic mold. Men can freely look at porn, hire prostitutes, make predator DVD's of Girls Gone Wild and use the first amendment to protect their predatory ways claiming free speech. The Justice Department put a block on the names of the men in both prositution rings in the Washington madam and Elliot Spitzer case to protect the "Johns" at the same time charge the women. I truly believe that these men have been so programmed to believe that all women should be skinny, big boobs, long thick hair and under the age of 15 for them to be sexually satisfied and the rest of us normal women are "FREAKS" .

They want to put a "sin" tax on fast food! We can balance the United States budget and pay down our national debt if they taxed Porn and or soft Porn mags and websites instead of food. It's another message to us that eating unhealthy as they claim will be taxed. Please keep it up and keep the focu on this industry. We will never be able to change laws like this until we elect more women to Congress. Until then, the majority of men in our Gov't will continue to protect their right to hire prostitutes without criminal repurcussions, have porn and exploit young girls and tax fast food in the hopes that all women will turn into a Stepford Wife.
Sorry this is so long but I'm so angry about how this industry contributes to the Sluttification of our daughters.
Posted By: normalgirlusa @ 05/03/2008 1:51:16 PM

Comment: Thank you Jessica Bennett for helping expose these kinds of practices in the industry. As a teen, I also read Seventeen, and I also starved myself to look thin because I thpought I should look like these girls in that magazine. After getting married, having two children, my husband would make little comments about my weight. If I was eating something, he would say "Should you be eating that?'See not only does it harm women of all ages, it programs men into believing that all women should look like the girl in Playboy or on a pron site and perform that way too. They (men) do not either understand or accept the fact that these women are digitally enhanced and are ACTING! Well known psychologist have come out recently stating that the biggest problem in relationships is the unrealistic expectations of the guys who are so image programed by the Photoshope image and the unrealistic acting that these porn sights do, damage relationships.

One reality show "America's Next Top Model", claim they are accepting larger (Size 10) models but never have they won. The last girl that won was so unbearably skinny that I told my two teen daughters that she was sick and her illness caused her to look sickly thin. I had to resort to telling my girls lies to keep them from believing that being that thin will get them in a model magazine or a modeling contract.

I'm sick of the push by men and the industry to pressure woman into an unrealistic mold. Men can freely look at porn, hire prostitutes, make predator DVD's of Girls Gone Wild and use the first amendment to protect their predatory ways claiming free speech. The Justice Department put a block on the names of the men in both prositution rings in the Washington madam and Elliot Spitzer case to protect the "Johns" at the same time charge the women. I truly believe that these men have been so programmed to believe that all women should be skinny, big boobs, long thick hair and under the age of 15 for them to be sexually satisfied and the rest of us normal women are "FREAKS" .

They want to put a "sin" tax on fast food! We can balance the United States budget and pay down our national debt if they taxed Porn and or soft Porn mags and websites instead of food. It's another message to us that eating unhealthy as they claim will be taxed. Please keep it up and keep the focu on this industry. We will never be able to change laws like this until we elect more women to Congress. Until then, the majority of men in our Gov't will continue to protect their right to hire prostitutes without criminal repurcussions, have porn and exploit young girls and tax fast food in the hopes that all women will turn into a Stepford Wife.
Sorry this is so long but I'm so angry about how this industry contributes to the Sluttification of our daughters.
Posted By: normalgirlusa @ 05/03/2008 1:50:49 PM

Comment: Thank you Jessica Bennett for helping expose these kinds of practices in the industry. As a teen, I also read Seventeen, and I also starved myself to look thin because I thpought I should look like these girls in that magazine. After getting married, having two children, my husband would make little comments about my weight. If I was eating something, he would say "Should you be eating that?'See not only does it harm women of all ages, it programs men into believing that all women should look like the girl in Playboy or on a pron site and perform that way too. They (men) do not either understand or accept the fact that these women are digitally enhanced and are ACTING! Well known psychologist have come out recently stating that the biggest problem in relationships is the unrealistic expectations of the guys who are so image programed by the Photoshope image and the unrealistic acting that these porn sights do, damage relationships.

One reality show "America's Next Top Model", claim they are accepting larger (Size 10) models but never have they won. The last girl that won was so unbearably skinny that I told my two teen daughters that she was sick and her illness caused her to look sickly thin. I had to resort to telling my girls lies to keep them from believing that being that thin will get them in a model magazine or a modeling contract.

I'm sick of the push by men and the industry to pressure woman into an unrealistic mold. Men can freely look at porn, hire prostitutes, make predator DVD's of Girls Gone Wild and use the first amendment to protect their predatory ways claiming free speech. The Justice Department put a block on the names of the men in both prositution rings in the Washington madam and Elliot Spitzer case to protect the "Johns" at the same time charge the women. I truly believe that these men have been so programmed to believe that all women should be skinny, big boobs, long thick hair and under the age of 15 for them to be sexually satisfied and the rest of us normal women are "FREAKS" .

They want to put a "sin" tax on fast food! We can balance the United States budget and pay down our national debt if they taxed Porn and or soft Porn mags and websites instead of food. It's another message to us that eating unhealthy as they claim will be taxed. Please keep it up and keep the focu on this industry. We will never be able to change laws like this until we elect more women to Congress. Until then, the majority of men in our Gov't will continue to protect their right to hire prostitutes without criminal repurcussions, have porn and exploit young girls and tax fast food in the hopes that all women will turn into a Stepford Wife.
Sorry this is so long but I'm so angry about how this industry contributes to the Sluttification of our daughters.
Posted By: firequeen76 @ 05/03/2008 1:20:20 PM

Comment: I agree with the article when it said that there should be some sort of regulation to the magazines. Maybe a disclaimer or a small photo of how they really look. I feel bad about my body all the time and have grown up looking at women that are fairytales, but never knew it. I am still struggling with how I am supposed to look and not ok with myself looking as I do. The media plays a huge role in that.
And what is so wrong with looking as we do anyhow? Being human and looking it?
I think it is time we embrace and love ourselves as we are and stop letting these few people dictate to us how we are supposed to look.
They set the standard for what we think the right body type.
They tell us that thin, perky boobs, long legs and the rest are how we all should look.
I disagree; I think that the differences give us character and if we all looked the same that would be awful and boring. I also think they like to separate themselves from the real world to make they feel better about themselves.
I am perfect as I am, I just don't know it.
Posted By: FreePeace @ 05/03/2008 12:56:01 PM

Comment: This article is wonderful! I'm doing a feminism unit in my literature class right now and we've been debating these sorts of issues. Some have been trying to argue that magazines are just trying to make girls feel better about themselves by showing them how to be fashionable. (Although I don't see why I have to look a certain way in order to feel good about myself). This clearly shows that is not the case. I will definitely be citing this in my upcoming paper!
Posted By: FreePeace @ 05/03/2008 12:54:45 PM

Comment: This article is wonderful! I'm doing a feminism unit in my literature class right now and we've been debating these sorts of issues. Some have been trying to argue that magazines are just trying to make girls feel better about themselves by showing them how to be fashionable. (Although I don't see why I have to look a certain way in order to feel good about myself). This clearly shows that is not the case. I will definitely be citing this in my upcoming paper!
Posted By: Malenka Mavpa @ 05/03/2008 12:42:49 PM

Comment: "If that girl is like 42 percent of the population she'll want to be thinner by the time she's a third-grader, and by age 10???if she's like 81 percent of her peers???she'll be afraid of being fat, according to a 2004 global survey by the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty." Amazingly, though, that doesn't appear to translate into anything real. In the United States today, 66% of adults are overweight. Almost 33% of adults are obese, and 4.7% are morbidly obese, or more than 100 pounds overweight. I find it incredulous that we focus on how the fashion industry is "so bad for our images" and the root of all evil because it allegedly creates unattainable images of beauty. Maybe if the lazy Americans would stop eating out at restaurants and fast food joints like Corporate McDeath everyday those chasms of disparity between real body weight and image wouldn't be so grand. Stop complaining you whiny little sycophants; get off the couch and exercise for a change!
- Posted By: normalgirlusa @ 05/03/2008 14:17:37
  
  Comment: How incredibly smug of you. I suspect that you are young and your thyroid and harmones are normal. You probably have no problem losing weight and you are not married and have no children.
  
  I once had your attitude until after having children. My harmones and body changed and it becomes ever so harder to keep the weight off. I'm 5'9 and weigh 150 and it takes me exercising 30 minutes every day and eating as little calarie intake as possible to just maintain 150 pounds. Yet, by these standards, I'm considerd fat! i took me 2 years to lose 80 pounds of baby fat. So don't you dare look down your nose on the majority of women in America do the same as me. I did get off the couch and I do eat as little as I can and I'm still considered FAT. You just wait, it will happen to you. Then maybe you will shut your trap and stop putting other women down.
Posted By: 5s1M @ 05/03/2008 12:30:18 PM

Comment: I personally never felt pressure of magazines and looking perfect when I was a growing girl. Thanks to my parents They instiiled goodness and equality into my brain. I never thought about such things of how to land the perfect guy or get the perfect bod. These magazines are veiwed as entertainment or enhancements to ones own personal arsonal of fantasy and the desire of these magazine fantasies to adjoin into their own reality. Go on a month long or year long adventure people. You will see a universal diference in yourself when you are exposed to real life instead of media fantasy. I like the article and video its short enough to get your point across.
Posted By: TheSilentPriest @ 05/03/2008 12:29:22 PM

Comment: All I have to say to this is, 'Duh'. Is any adult not aware of this practice? And as a parent, I've clued my daughter into this simple fact, "Anything other than reality...ISN'T.' Movies, television, and magazines aren't based on reality, they are based on sales. And as a young male, I remember saying to friends, in reference to Playboy models, "Where do they grow these girls?" This explains why runway models are thin to the point of creepy...they are selling the clothes they wear...not themselves.
Posted By: FreePeace @ 05/03/2008 11:56:41 AM

Comment: This article is wonderful! I'm doing a feminism unit in my literature class right now and we've been debating these sorts of issues. Some have been trying to argue that magazines are just trying to make girls feel better about themselves by showing them how to be fashionable. (Although I don't see why I have to look a certain way in order to feel good about myself). This clearly shows that is not the case. I will definately be citing this in my upcoming paper!
Posted By: kittylover @ 05/03/2008 11:40:26 AM

Comment: All I can say is I wish I could get Oprah's makeup ARTIST and photographer. Even on television you can see what Oprah really weighs and looks like but her magazine covers are a fantasy. I would think that Oprah of all people would get real AND natural.
Posted By: linero @ 05/03/2008 10:22:38 AM

Comment: Odd video and not very well produced.. Ms. Bennett showed what actually would have happened if her body had been airbrushed, then made no display ofwhat actually happened to her face - she only "said" what happened. No side by side comparisons of the steps, which would have been interesting. This was the point of the video, supposedly, and that point was missed.
Posted By: kjinvictoria @ 05/03/2008 9:40:01 AM

Comment: Thank you, I am getting my thin 13 year old daughter to read this. Fashion / Celeb mags are the doorway to eating disorders in young women, it's a fact. And besides, does the industry really believe that the general masses are that stupid? We'd respect them more if they just sold us the truth.
Posted By: photoartguy @ 05/03/2008 9:26:33 AM

Comment: "If that girl is like 42 percent of the population she'll want to be thinner by the time she's a third-grader, and by age 10???if she's like 81 percent of her peers???she'll be afraid of being fat..."

In reality, like the majority of Americans (~65%), she is now or is most likely to become obese. Everyone, kids included, needs to put the magazines down, get off their butts, and DO SOMETHING ACTIVE! Stop whining and do something to look better and be healthier. While we need to realize that most of us will never rise to the level of the "perfect" models, we can at least feel better about ourselves by actively working to improve our appearance. And, parents need to teach and guide their children in this respect long before they reach the teen years.
- Posted By: Terrils @ 05/05/2008 16:01:00
  
  Comment: Your point about physical activity is reasonable, but don't you think we ought to try to feel better about ourselves by "actively working to improve" oh, say, our intellect, our skills, our compassion, our health - things that matter considerably more than "appearance"?
Posted By: ReikiChristine @ 05/03/2008 9:25:09 AM

Comment: We all know the effect it has on consumers, but what effect does it have on those celebrities who have been retouched and basically made into a different image? Does it make the celebrities feel they are not good enough for the photo, therefore they have to be digitally altered to make it into the magazine? What does it do to their self-esteem?
Posted By: chinese tibet @ 05/03/2008 9:23:23 AM

Comment: Oppose France, England, Germany, Japan ,USA???
Oppose CNN is not actual report to China!
CNN's Jack Cafferty is a ignorant garbage???

Sustain the Beijing Olympics!
Tibet is inviolable territory in China from time immemorial, China never relinquished control of Tibet.
Dalai Lama is Chinese splittist.

France, Germany, England, Japan, American people does not understand reality of Tibet!
Occidental news is inauthenticity for China.
China is amity, but China is unconquerable come from threaten for fremdness !

Please see the following Web address in the concerning the photo that true of China Tibet:

http://blog.ifeng.com/706796.html
Posted By: alsierra @ 05/03/2008 9:23:08 AM

Comment: I don???t understand NEWSWEEK. In this article you write: ???Most serious news organizations, including NEWSWEEK, have strict rules against photo manipulation.??? But the next article: Art Aimed To Shock??? you don???t have problems to advertise: ???SMARTER THAN BOTOX??? where the digital manipulation is so obvious. Where is the integrity of this magazine?
Alejandro Sierra
Posted By: alsierra @ 05/03/2008 9:21:42 AM

Comment: I don???t understand NEWSWEEK. In this article you write: ???Most serious news organizations, including NEWSWEEK, have strict rules against photo manipulation.??? But the next article: Art Aimed To Shock??? you don???t have problems to advertise: ???SMARTER THAN BOTOX??? where the digital manipulation is so obvious. Where is the integrity of this magazine?
Alejandro Sierra
Posted By: chinese tibet @ 05/03/2008 9:20:43 AM

Comment: Oppose France, England, Germany, Japan ,USA???
Oppose CNN is not actual report to China!
CNN's Jack Cafferty is a ignorant garbage???

Sustain the Beijing Olympics!
Tibet is inviolable territory in China from time immemorial, China never relinquished control of Tibet.
Dalai Lama is Chinese splittist.

France, Germany, England, Japan, American people does not understand reality of Tibet!
Occidental news is inauthenticity for China.
China is amity, but China is unconquerable come from threaten for fremdness !

Please see the following Web address in the concerning the photo that true of China Tibet:

http://blog.ifeng.com/706796.html
Posted By: chinese tibet @ 05/03/2008 9:19:56 AM

Comment: Oppose France, England, Germany, Japan ,USA???
Oppose CNN is not actual report to China!
CNN's Jack Cafferty is a ignorant garbage???

Sustain the Beijing Olympics!
Tibet is inviolable territory in China from time immemorial, China never relinquished control of Tibet.
Dalai Lama is Chinese splittist.

France, Germany, England, Japan, American people does not understand reality of Tibet!
Occidental news is inauthenticity for China.
China is amity, but China is unconquerable come from threaten for fremdness !

Please see the following Web address in the concerning the photo that true of China Tibet:

http://blog.ifeng.com/706796.html
Posted By: chinese tibet @ 05/03/2008 9:19:48 AM

Comment: Oppose France, England, Germany, Japan ,USA???
Oppose CNN is not actual report to China!
CNN's Jack Cafferty is a ignorant garbage???

Sustain the Beijing Olympics!
Tibet is inviolable territory in China from time immemorial, China never relinquished control of Tibet.
Dalai Lama is Chinese splittist.

France, Germany, England, Japan, American people does not understand reality of Tibet!
Occidental news is inauthenticity for China.
China is amity, but China is unconquerable come from threaten for fremdness !

Please see the following Web address in the concerning the photo that true of China Tibet:

http://blog.ifeng.com/706796.html
Posted By: chinese tibet @ 05/03/2008 9:19:40 AM

Comment: Oppose France, England, Germany, Japan ,USA???
Oppose CNN is not actual report to China!
CNN's Jack Cafferty is a ignorant garbage???

Sustain the Beijing Olympics!
Tibet is inviolable territory in China from time immemorial, China never relinquished control of Tibet.
Dalai Lama is Chinese splittist.

France, Germany, England, Japan, American people does not understand reality of Tibet!
Occidental news is inauthenticity for China.
China is amity, but China is unconquerable come from threaten for fremdness !

Please see the following Web address in the concerning the photo that true of China Tibet:

http://blog.ifeng.com/706796.html
Posted By: chinese tibet @ 05/03/2008 9:19:31 AM

Comment: Oppose France, England, Germany, Japan ,USA???
Oppose CNN is not actual report to China!
CNN's Jack Cafferty is a ignorant garbage???

Sustain the Beijing Olympics!
Tibet is inviolable territory in China from time immemorial, China never relinquished control of Tibet.
Dalai Lama is Chinese splittist.

France, Germany, England, Japan, American people does not understand reality of Tibet!
Occidental news is inauthenticity for China.
China is amity, but China is unconquerable come from threaten for fremdness !

Please see the following Web address in the concerning the photo that true of China Tibet:

http://blog.ifeng.com/706796.html
Posted By: alsierra @ 05/03/2008 9:18:10 AM

Comment: I don???t understand NEWSWEEK. In this article you write: ???Most serious news organizations, including NEWSWEEK, have strict rules against photo manipulation.??? But the next article: Art Aimed To Shock??? you don???t have problems to advertise: ???SMARTER THAN BOTOX - click here -try it free??? were the digital manipulation is so obvious. Where is the integrity of this magazine?
Alejandro Sierra - Lowell, MA
- Posted By: Terrils @ 05/05/2008 15:58:02
  
  Comment: There is a difference between a publication's editorial content and advertising, just as there is a difference between what happens on a news show and what happens during the commercials.
Posted By: realist814 @ 05/03/2008 9:15:33 AM

Comment: Could you imagine if all the women told their men don???t even come near me till you start looking like the Calvin Klein underwear models? How is that for motivation David?
Posted By: realist814 @ 05/03/2008 9:15:18 AM

Comment: Could you imagine if all the women told their men don???t even come near me till you start looking like the Calvin Klein underwear models? How is that for motivation David?
Posted By: purpleliberty @ 05/03/2008 9:02:06 AM

Comment: It's only harmful if the majority of consumers aren't informed. I think it's become hard for these publications to curb the drasticly airbrushed images, simply for the fact that the public has become accustomed. What would happen if they stopped? We all have these expectations now when we see a celebrity on a cover. As consumers, we immediately notice when something has changed in a product we've become familiar with. "Hmm, this tastes strange. Did they change the recipe?". We're creatures of habit. Until theres a shift in the general attitude of the media consuming masses, we won't stop seeing these images. I personally have no issue with the imagery, but it's apparent that it can affect those who are less informed. That is definitely harmful. All that can be done is to help educate. Anyone can attain a 'fit body', but stick thin is just plain unhealthy and dangerous.
Posted By: STUTHESTONER @ 05/03/2008 8:55:50 AM

Comment: Willing trumps Teeth every single time.

When women (and some men for that matter) figure that out, this article will become irrelevant.

There is little that is more unattractive than someone who is constantly complaining about how they look.

Willing always trumps teeth!
Posted By: hippiefreelove @ 05/03/2008 8:01:22 AM

Comment: We all want to look good when we are trying to attract / keep mates but should there be some basis in reality? Should so many young women feel inadequate? I once talked to a man who said his intial sexual curiousity was met by airbrushed images of naked women in Playboy and that he was disappointed when he sees the real women in his life naked. these false images tainted his sex life. I'm sure reality won out over image and he was able to adjust to the joy of real life vs fake images. We should not become enamored of perfection. It does not exist.
Posted By: realist814 @ 05/03/2008 7:59:45 AM

Comment: David setting realistic goals for one???s personal appearance is one thing, setting unrealistic goals is another. Most models and actresses workout 4 to 5 times a week with a personal trainer and have personal chefs not to mention multiple plastic surgeries and constant trips to the spa for laser and beauty treatments, to the average American woman it is unrealistic to expect them to follow this routine, the above mentioned people do it because it comes with the job of being a model or actress and then to believe this is not enough and have to have the photos retouched is just plain crazy.
I was personally outraged when I saw the People Magazine photo shoot of supposedly natural beauties, it showed the models and actresses without makeup, their skin was blemished and skin tone was uneven and ruddy yet when they showed their pictures from the all natural photo shoot supposedly without makeup and not retouched all those imperfections just disappeared.
David this is fantasy not reality, most women do not look like this and to expect the average woman to live up to this fantasy is not only doing a disservice to women but setting your own unrealistic goals too high. Next you will expect women to look like Playboy centerfolds as well which again thanks to the retouched photos is an unrealistic expectation.
Posted By: hippiefreelove @ 05/03/2008 7:59:43 AM

Comment: We all want to look good when we are trying to attract / keep mates but should there be some basis in reality? Should so many young women feel inadequate? I once talked to a man who said his intial sexual curiousity was met by airbrushed images of naked women in Playboy and that he was disappointed when he sees the real women in his life naked. these false images tainted his sex life. I'm sure reality won out over image and he was able to adjust to the joy of real life vs fake images. We should not become enamored of perfection. It does not exist.
Posted By: Isures @ 05/03/2008 3:42:39 AM

Comment: David, weird comment. "Looks are not the most important thing" doesn't mean what you said. It means "I love you for what you are, your extra pounds and bald spot don't make me love you any less. So don't even think of getting a toupee! Yes, I love you as you are."
Posted By: david44197206 @ 05/03/2008 3:30:29 AM

Comment: Frankly, I like the touched up pictures because it inspires people to set the goals for their personal appearances higher. This is not a bad thing, it's a very good thing. So, ladies, keep up the hard work of looking good to the max. All us honest men love it. You inspire some of us guys to try to keep fit and good looking hoping to get your attention too. I know that when all things are considered, looks are not the most important thing, but good looks sure help romances get started and they can help keep them going too. True love means living for someone else, and every man and woman wants a life partner that is good looking, but some people will settle for something less than their ideal. Lazy selfish people are the ones that are always saying, "Looks are not the most important thing." What they mean is, "I don't want to have to work at keeping myself looking good for you. I don't love you that much."
- Posted By: Terrils @ 05/05/2008 15:54:38
  
  Comment: Oh, David. Your position is mortifying, and sadly not as rare as one would like. I hope you find the sleek, large-breasted, plump lipped, Barbie-perfect, soulless, empty-headed plastic sex toy of your dreams. If you haven't yet, don't despair. In a few years stores will be selling them, batteries included.
Posted By: Won't Get Fooled Again @ 05/03/2008 3:00:06 AM

Comment: How ironic, a Newsweek article about airbrushing celebrity and model photos going to far. How about your current cover showing the soldiers of Iwo Jima raising a tree in respect for global warming. I guess that doesn???t count because it is a total manipulation of a sacred photo. Newspaper and magazine publications are on the brink of extinction. Newsweek's extinction cant came come fast enough for me.
- Posted By: sunspot42 @ 05/03/2008 05:45:48
  
  Comment: Hey, "Won't Get Fooled Again" - the Iwo Jima Photoshop job you're harping on about was on the cover of the April 28th edition of Time, not Newsweek. Not sure how it's supposed to somehow "defile" your "sacred photo" though.
Posted By: Won't Get Fooled Again @ 05/03/2008 2:59:48 AM

Comment: How ironic, a Newsweek article about airbrushing celebrity and model photos going to far. How about your current cover showing the soldiers of Iwo Jima raising a tree in respect for global warming. I guess that doesn???t count because it is a total manipulation of a sacred photo. Newspaper and magazine publications are on the brink of extinction. Newsweek's extinction cant came come fast enough for me.
Posted By: Won't Get Fooled Again @ 05/03/2008 2:59:28 AM

Comment: .How ironic, a Newsweek article about airbrushing celebrity and model photos going to far. How about your current cover showing the soldiers of Iwo Jima raising a tree in respect for global warming. I guess that doesn???t count because it is a total manipulation of a sacred photo. Newspaper and magazine publications are on the brink of extinction. Newsweek's extinction cant came come fast enough for me.
Posted By: Silentmajority @ 05/03/2008 2:07:57 AM

Comment: p
Posted By: mysteryhowell @ 05/02/2008 4:46:59 PM

Comment: Why is there no mention of the Dove ad or Dove film in this article that the picture advertising this article is from? That video is very telling, as is their other film showing advertisements and young girls. I think it is a shame that this article fails to point out two other very powerful "anti photoshopping" messages. which are both very easily accessable on youtube.com Search Dove Ads "Evolution" and "Onslaught."

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