Attention Seeking?

More and more 'Photoshop Failures' are being noticed in Magazines and Catalogues. For example clothing companies making their girls too skinny or showing a loss of a limb due to airbrushing failures. But has it become too controversial and now companies are doing it on purpose to gain media attention. It can only make sales increase. As they say 'No publicity is bad publicity.'

Just look at this image:

Article

Whose to say what is normal?

The Body Snatchers... Cyndi Tebbel

Some quotes from 'The Body Snatchers'

Kawaii Culture...

...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2221420/I-look-mirror-The-5ft-11in-model-hated-116lbs-plus-size-changed-career.html

Highly edited image of Lady Gaga for Vogue

The way she really looks - right.

http://loop21.com/tyra-banks-open-letter-vogue-models-body-image

Reverse Retouching

The latest trend in image alteration might surprise a few people who are familiar with the power and pervasiveness of the thin ideal. Known as “reverse retouching,” this new trend has editors now adding curves and inches in specific areas of women’s bodies to create more voluptuous figures.

http://www.beautyredefined.net/curvy-is-the-new-skinny-thanks-to-photoshop-phoniness/

Karlie Kloss

This is top model Karlie Kloss. She was recently photographed in Black and White by Greg Kadel for Numéro magazine. The second image is the original image shot by Kadel and the first image is the one that was shown in the magazine. Her ribs had to be edited out as she looked so thin. 

Kadel's Studio stated:
It was Greg's desire to represent Karlie as she naturally is ... slender, athletic and beautiful. That is why he released the images as he intended them to be seen by the public. He is shocked and dismayed that unbeknownst to him, Numéro took it upon themselves to airbrush over his original images. Greg stands by his original artwork and cannot stress enough that he not only was unaware of the magazine's retouching but also finds the airbrushing of Karlie unacceptable and unnecessary.

http://www.georgiahanias.com/blog/?p=12

Scope...

·       scope: state the limitations/perimeters of research area

·       aims & objectives: what do you hope to achieve. Include clear statements of intent.

·    research methods: explain where the information has/will come from. Could include a brief review of key secondary texts or justify approach to primary research.  Highlight any potential problems/gaps in research and how they will be overcome.

In my Dissertation I will be looking into how image-editing software such as Photoshop has influenced and distorted our observation of the female in fashion editorial (Magazines). For this I will be reading several books such as; Naomi Wolf’s ‘The Beauty Myth’, ‘The Body Snatchers: How the media shapes women’ by Cyndi Tebbel. I read Magazines all of the time, such as Vogue and Wonderland and it is clear to me that women in these magazines are thought of a lot as objects and can be disposed of at the editor’s discretion. A magazine like this is made up of advertisements featuring women, which are highly airbrushed and edited to make them look unrealistic just to sell a product. These kinds of Magazines also include clothing that is ‘in fashion’ and women feel the need to buy it to feel worthy and accepted. Clothes usually go out of fashion quite quickly and trends do not last, its one thing after another all to make money. There are usually beauty pages included here as well. These show women what they should look like and tutorials of how to fit in the latest trend along with tons of products you can buy to do this. Women are never quite good enough for these magazines, on every page there is something that a women should be doing, whether its walking a dog, looking wafer thin, wearing ridiculously high shoes for a perfume or sat on a train with outrageously pretty models, wearing fur to advertise a bag for Louis Vuitton.

This is the kind of thing I will be looking in to. I will also be looking into areas such as models with eating disorders and drug problems and how it is widely ignored in the industry but yet so plain to see.

I will also be looking into sexual discrimination in the fashion industry and how it is usually the women that are seen as not good enough and need to change the most ‘Female sexuality is turned inside out from birth, so “beauty” can take its place, keeping women’s eyes lowered to their own bodies, glancing up only to check their reflections in the eyes of men.’ (Naomi Wolf – The Beauty Myth, pg 155, Sex).

I will write about how it is usually women, which do not feel good enough and feel the need to change their image through things such as make-up, surgery, weight and styling. They also feel the need to ‘touch-up’ photographs or get rid of what they consider a ‘bad’ photograph. 

Links for Articles

National Centre for Eating Disorders

Photo Editing New Reality

Overcoming Distorted Realities

The Media and Body Image: If looks could kill

From Jacky to Tacky

Controversy: Modelling at Thirteen

Teen Vogue - unfairly accused

Half of girls 14-15 unhappy with their figures

What do I want to be when i grow up? SKINNY

Banana Republic - erases models knee

Multiple Photoshop fails

The Body project

Scandals of Classic Hollywood

Starvation Diet: why it could make us live longer

Lady Gaga's Airbrushed Vogue cover

Women try surgery for the masculine 'Lowbrow' look

Lady Gaga's 'fuller figure'