Finally, someone’s taking a stand for normal sized women!
Releasing pictures from a swimsuit shoot, Debenhams showed the ridiculous things they do to models in the name of selling clothes.
I'm only disgusted by how unfairly hot she is!
Why exactly are you making the MODEL’s waist smaller than it actually is? It makes her feel fat because she’s obviously not small enough to leave alone, and it makes the people who look at it feel fat, because they want to meet some impossible dream of a Barbie-body.
- Before and…. After.
It’s just not gonna happen girls, and anyways, I’m sure you’re gorgeous enough as it is.
Debenhams is planning to use only un-airbrushed pictures this summer, so look out for the “normal” women’s bodies, coming to… only Debenhams Oxford St. actually. And only the swimwear models, so that means they can probably airbrush up to the eyeballs any other models they want.
Just to illustrate the point, I’d like to point out the Britney Spears pictures below.
- Be nice!!
Even if sometimes she can be a bit psycho, (try living your whole life under a lens and see how you turn out) she’s trying to do her bit for the girls by releasing a before-and-after photo of some shoot she did in April this year.
I’m not gonna lie, when I saw her legs I went… ugh. But think about it, that’s what real women look like, they have cellulite, and their legs are a bit patchy, cause they’re in the sun more, and yeah, no one’s waist is the same size as their thigh!
If we women like that were on billboards… well, I know for a fact I’d feel better about myself!
lalah-simone 
It’s amazing what they can do with photoshop. Even if they are going to airbrush the photos they are still compromising the reality of the picture. Airbrushing can totally change the look of the skin and make it seem smooth and perfect, which is also not reality. I would just like to see them use photos that they took without enhancing one thing…this means color, texture, etc.
http://wutevs.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/looking-for-your-inner-child-go-to-the-zoo/
Oh Raul don’t dazzle me with your penchant for the obvious!
Love this truth:)
Love this post!
I totally want to buy that swimsuit. Haha
It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?
That’s what I first saw, then I was like… why is there writing all over the picture?
Haha
They’ve taken a bit off the model’s waist because the swimsuit itself doesn’t fit properly. And in the after photo, if she should stand up straight, you’d see she was deformed! They should have airbrushed the swimsuit …
Swimsuit is pretty…but not so sure about those little ruffles on the bottom!
Oh really? i love the ruffles. and the whole suit really. But I’d rather see a real woman in it!
Hi Lalah Simone,
Your post caught my eye as my friend, Angela Jones, and I created http://www.plussizemodelsunite.com. Great post!
We interview plus models and “real” women. We write about the media, self-esteem, body image, confidence, plus modeling, eating disorders, inspiring women, fashion, health, etc. We would love for you to check our site out and tell us what you think!
Thank you,
Elizabeth
It starts with our senior pictures in high school that parents pay big bucks to have ‘touched up’ and then wedding photos, and so on. I have had several shoots done for fun that were then touched up for the now ex hubby. Fantasy stuff I call it. Light filtering and adjustments are fine, but the more real the photos on these models, the nicer it would be for our girls to grow up seeing that every imperfection we have is what makes us all unique.
Exactly!
I used to dabble in photoshop when I was younger and thought that the single, tiny spot on my face was a horror, but I grew out of it.
It would be so much easier for girls to never grow *into* it, if the images they saw were actually realistic.
Let those love handles free!
hmm, I wonder why they waste money on a model, when they can just do this stuff on a computer anyway?
now, if they wrote ON the model! like model-graffitti! that would be worth seeing.
or why not get a horrid model with actual facail hair and cellulite and crotch hair sticking out of the kini- THEN do all the PS magic?
That’s Entertaint-ment!
They’re dancer’s legs. She has a compact build… When you move like that, you build a bunch of muscle. It’s OK…
http://www.travelswithanineyearold.com
Great post. Depressing subject. The lines between reality and unreality have blurred in more than magazine pages.
@ Marvi Marti. True we forget about these grad pictures. Very insidiuous. I have actually blogged twice about Photoshop and my theory is that even when we know about the deception, we still think these models are flawless.
http://jaunehibiscus.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/photoshop-goes-under-the-knife-cliches-under-the-radar/
I atually like Britney’s legs better in the original picture. It looks real. The other one is fake and looks lifeless. You have to fill it up with a lot of love for life and a little bit of fat for food.
I like that!
“You have to fill it up with a lot of love for life and a little bit of fat for food”
You’re definitely right.
My 18 year old son has been modeling for three years; in fact he book a job for Jockey yesterday and is modeling for them today :), and I’ve seen a fair amount of before and after images. Agencies tend to frown on and not use heavily edited images on their websites – excluding tears. What clients do with the images after the shoot is another story.
Thanks for sharing this post.
I agree with you to a point that models aren’t “perfect,” but these ladies still begin with a really nice base. Airbrushing doesn’t replace the beauty they already have; it merely enhances it.
And while I tend to agree that most women have cellulite, I don’t agree that all women have it. A lot of it is genetics – in my case, it’s a really strict weight lifting regime and diet.
It’s possible ladies to fight cellulite :)
I like the constructive points you bring up in this blog.
http://lawyergal.wordpress.com/
That’s very true, these women are already beautiful, and the airbrushing is just enhancing it! That’s a good way of looking at it (far more refreshing than being negative, anyway.) :)
Insanity has become far too common. What is wrong with the way she looked in the first place? Seriously, she was amazing in the first picture, and the touched photo isn’t really tha much of an improvement.
I guess the consumer is ultimately to blame though, afterall, we are the ones driving the marketing aren’t we? My own site http://www.swimwearandlingerie.com uses photos that are most likely retouched as well. Gah, I’m part of the problem.
I will strive to buy my swimwear and lingerie only at places that use regular sized models. Which I guess means I won’t get to buy any, because no one does.
So… how do we take a stand?
Cheers,
Maggie
I cannot believe they would find anything wrong with the model or britney’s cellulite – the model is almost perfect and there is worst cellulite than what britney has. I can see how the meticulous airbrushing would make girls feel inferior.
I wait with baited breath for the day they invent photoshop for real life.
I was just talking about this over the weekend. Remember the good old days of Cindy Crawford? Back then the boobs were real and supermodels weren’t skinnier than my (skinny) pre-teen. I’m glad they are starting to release these images. It’s so harmful to developing girls. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy, but there is nothing healthy about aspiring to an unattainable standard of perfection.
Love this post! I just saw a similar video on YouTube that Dove did – my daughter and I both liked it so much, we posted to our fb pages.
It’s a video called “Dove Evolution,” and it shows the process that a model’s makeup & photos go through from start to finish. The changes they make in photoshop are actually kind of disturbing when you watch it.
Yes! I was thinking about that commercial! It’s awesome, check it out!
Wow!
That advert is unbelievable, she looked like an completely new person.
…that’s pretty disturbing too.
wow really great ad. I never saw this on tv. Thanks for posting this.
I saw this picture the other day and for the life of me couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with her to start with.
I dabbled in modeling a loooong time ago… Having gained a bunch of weight over the last year, it’s hard to not want to be skinny/ be obsessed with loosing weight. I know both sides of the story. But these fancy ads and expensive makeup jobs never stop from influencing your mind. It’s hard to not feel fat, even if you are skinny.
As mom to two tween girls, I realized while reading this post and gazing, mouth open, at the pics, that I need to start sharing these and similar before and after shots with them at some point. They’re not big consumers of fashion magazines (thank goodness) – yet – but will be soon enough. I want them to know they’re beautiful as they are – no matter how they look, how much they weigh, what they wear. And not to compare themselves to images like these.
I try to provide a good example by eating healthily and exercising regularly, and consider myself in pretty good shape in my mid-40’s. But even I still fall prey to the Photoshopped Perfection our society demands – and it gnaws at my self esteem and self confidence. UGH!
Thank you for the post. What a crazy world we live in.
wow. and to think this is what girls are looking up to(fakeness) is horrible..
What an eye opener…hopefully young girls are reading this. They will then see that they are aiming for the never-gonna-happen!!!!!
It’s terrifying to see my own friends doing whole diets just because they need shape to their bodies. Dunno but, I think ‘skinny’ is kinda poison-something..
I hope this is just a start! The advertising industry seems to act on the premise that women are stupid – as if we really believe that models are perfect. Or worse, if we buy the clothes we will look like models!
The thing is – many people DO believe that, even if they don’t want to admit it!
And it’s even worse for impressionable young women who think there’s something wrong with them, if they don’t look as “pretty as a picture”.
:(
Good one! I’ve seen even more ridiculous ones where you can’t even tell it’s the same person after the picture has been edited. Thanks for sharing :-)
I have worked on photoshop for quite some years and it is amazing what all you can do with it. The latest version of Photoshop simply reduces the photographer to just another person. It is simply so powerful.
I disagree that this photo was altered to sell clothing. The photographer had a vision and just as a painter works on a painting a photographer works on a photo. It is about delivering the reality you captured. A photograph is never pure, due to film grain, lighting, and more, without photoshop, you can trick the eye into seeing almost anything. Photoshop is just another tool that helps you alter light.
Sorry, I think you’re way off the mark with that one, because photos are presented as if they are “real” in order to sell something. If I write an article that’s completely untrue & filled with lies, is it okay because I think that writing is great art? Not without a disclaimer. Legal, maybe – but just plain wrong.
Fiction is writing, no?
Perhaps if the word “fiction” were stamped across the photograph, this entire string might never exist :)
OMG..thanks for sharing this..people should know that EVERYTHING is tweaked.
And we wonder why kids grow up with a skewed view of beauty.
Thanks
http://afscience.wordpress.com
Thank you for posting this!
I prefer the woman on the left. The one on the right just looks artificial.
Hi! My name is Angela Jones. I am a wife, mother of two children, and a ‘plus’ model. I am also the co-creator of the blog Plus-Size Models Unite. Our blog is an open forum for women of all shapes and sizes to help inspire one another with life stories and to promote healthy body image and self love. We think this blog is great! Good job! If you ever get a chance visit us at http://www.plussizemodelsunite.com Thank you so much!
I know this isn’t quite the point, but I’ve seen girls that have a similar body to the “after” pictures of these models, and EW… Why can’t “healthy” and “fit” be the mainstream, instead of “twig” and “stick figure”? There was a finer time many years ago, when having meat on one’s bones showed a sign of wealth and proper family. lol
That aside, I’m amazed at the work that can be done with computers to “enhance” (not always in a good way though) photos of people. Technology has come so far from the days where my great grandfather had to colourize black and white photos by hand… Amazing!
It truly IS amazing. I gave myself a nose job in photoshop once, and I could not believe how different it made me look. *sigh*
As for the models, and their bodies being changed for the pictures, unfortunately it’s what sells. It’s the same reason why runway models are so skinny: the models are being used as a “living hanger” to display the clothing. It’s the clothing that is meant to be the “star”, not the model. So whatever makes the outfit look best is what will be the mainstream of what is used. (I’m not saying “skinny is good”, in fact, I TOO wish the models were more “real” looking. I’m real, and I’d love to see real people out there in ads. But let’s be honest… Frumpy doesn’t sell, at least according to the people that are making millions of dollars off of the consumer… And according to the large amounts of marketing that goes into “what sells”.)
For the record, and I’m being honest, Brit has a great body for the amount of abuse she’s put on herself over the years. She looks better than many other women out there, so people shouldn’t be so hard on her… She works hard to look as good as she does. And for that swimsuit model. WOW, she looks great in the before picture, why would anyone bother touching that up?!? Shocking.
Great post on this, I love reading people’s comments on the issue. :)
Wow. The model was gorgeous to begin with. I mean her body was already … hot. I guess it just goes to show that marketers/advertisers will always try to create an unattainable ideal to sell a product. Damn, it makes me asahmed to be in advertising. =(
Wow this is an intense post! I knew this went on but it’s nice to see the real thing.
http://www.denwrites.com
Great post!
Wow, I never knew how much they airbrush these models! It’s ridiculous.
I dunno. I’m not sure I’d have trimmed her waist, but I’d certainly have styled her hair better.
As advertisers it is hard not to try to make any image better whether man, woman or vehicle but everyones viewpoint on what is better is different. Blame whoever you want but accept the next person you see that isn’t your own image of perfect.
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Great post! Thanks for sharing the pictures. And as a self-proclaimed Britney fan, I’m happy to see the unbrushed Brit up here.
I’m pretty happy with who I am, and I’m far from perfect. It’s taken years of positive thinking, but it’s all for the better. I will admit, though, I’d like to see what an airbrush artist could do to some photos of me. (:
Great post! This is so true.
I knew this kind of techniques are being used massively and that we are getting used to seeing those manipulated photo’s everywhere. Furthermore, it is sad that the media is brainwashing society to value “perfect looks” over other qualities such as intelligence and personality.
I think we should all learn to feel good about ourselves despite what messages the media may be sending us. It’s not their job to make people feel better about themselves. You only owe that to yourself, by yourself. If you are only feeling good about yourself when you see a model’s photo or ad that resembles your body, then you really need a body image wake up call.
Don’t get me wrong, I very much appreciate your post and the fact that all these no makeup and “look how airbrushed this photo is” displays are popping up.
Love that you bring this to everyone’s attention. Nobody is perfect :)
excellent post. it is rediculous how women are expected to look these days. women should look healthy! not starved.
Now we’re talking!
Nice post. Like it! ^^
This post makes me want to learn Photoshop!
It’s amazing!Both on the skin and truth that follows immediately below.
It’s amazing!Both on the skin and truth that speaks immediately below.
Unfair! You blog on duplicity and unfairly rejects my comments as duplicate
Yeah, be natural. Stay happy the way you are…
Cheers,
Ang
Blog: http://yourfashionblog.wordpress.com/
I too love the suit! Your post reminds me of one I wrote awhile back. Check it out. Share your thoughts!
http://wp.me/pPdPc-9L
I love this. It really shows how awful the advertising companies can be. Who really cares if a girl isn’t rail thin? Not me! I would PREFER it if they just left those pictures alone. In fact, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, because they’re already skinny enough as it is without being photoshopped. It would give me a little more motivation to love myself the way I am.
Thanks again. Very eye-opening.
Oh MAH GAWD! Staggering and enlightening. Thank you for this post.
I have to agree that over photoshopped pictures are no good – especially when it comes to making the waist smaller etc, but smoothing the skin and fixing up the skin on britney’s legs I don’t think is such a problem.
When you take a photo it shows up all the imperfections/wrinkles much more than you see/would notice in real life, due to the way the light hits the face/skin. Skin smoothing helps to make sure that any imperfections are not the first thing that you look at in the photo.
it is a step in the right direction to stop photoshopping (at least a few) swimwear campaigns, so then us real girls don’t get such a huge shock in the change rooms haha
Great article you have there!
I have linked back to the article at:
http://newway.ulmb.com/showthread.php?tid=3429
The model in the first picture is not bad looking to begin with… and if she’s STILL not good enough for anyone.. they need a reality check.
There are women starving themselves to look like models who aren’t even REAL but rather faked to look like skeletons.
It’s pretty bad.
Seriously though, EVERY single ad/picture in a magazine is airbrushed and photoshopped. I don’t care what anyone says…
i think the un-airbrushed pics of the models AND britney spears are better than their edited ones… i don’t know, maybe it’s because i’m fat but i like the original ones compared with the weird-looking edited ones! :-D
photo good enough to be seen …
has his own uniqueness in each person it is very interesting!
http://theidiotgame.com source
Most of the time, it’s just easier off publishing material which has been edited. In a way, it’s like to please everyone. I’m sure the models are already good enough, just that editing somewhat further enhances their strong points, putting them closer to what seems like perfection. Of course, the main point here is not to overly do it.
I use Photoshop quite frequently and I find that it’s quite normal to want to do touch-up on photographs, just so they would look more presentable. This includes adjusting the lighting and perhaps removing some blemish. I wouldn’t trim someone’s waist out.
Either advertising companies are as “evil” as people say, or they’re just plain perfectionists :)
I like your post! You make us “normal” girls feel that we’re not that bad after all :D
actually, it’s too perfect to be real. It’s bad to make so many changes in a pic when everybody knows it’s imposible women like these. That only makes me (we) imperfect all the time, include when we are slim!
it’s easy to think we are ridiculous in bikini!!!!!
Hear, hear! And good for Debenhams! The world has gone obsessed with thinness and perfection….
this post reminds me of savage garden’s line “beauty magazines promote low self esteem”
WOW ..I knew they air brushed but didn’t know how much ..I am shocked ..no wonder some people struggle with their self image
One of my friends use to work for advertising and she had to do a lot of these airbrushing for a magazine called Dazed&Confused she quit that because she said it was brain numbing now she’s a self employed artist.
I’m not perfect, but happy. And perfection is not for us to make the judgment. When you are kind, sincere, intelligent, positive thinking, I believe you will like yourself better. And people will like your personality better than just a “perfect” body.
modeles are so sexy
great post!
Nobody’s perfect and nobody should think she/he must look perfect for anyone. I think when you are happy, you are perfect for yourself and not for people, who only like you, if you look good.
i know this isn’t really important, but the ‘before’ photo for the first model in the swimsuit doesn’t match the big photo above it (the photo with the sketches, pointing out what they do to ‘fix’ her). In the big ‘sketch’ photo the model’s stomach is flat, whereas in the smaller ‘before’ photo below it, you can notice that there is a definite curve to the stomach, just below the breast.
I just think that is a little weird, don’t you think? It’s important to get the facts straight with an article, but the photographs matter too.
No, you’re absolutely right, I didn’t notice that!
Seems like they must have already touched the photograph up before they started drawing on it…
Either that, or they un-airbrushed it, to make her look “fatter.”
Mmm. =/
I love seeing supermodels without photoshop and make-up! :)
I feel Happy being ME! =)
I liked this quite a bit.
WOW..I wanna be photoshopped .. wonder how i’d turn out?!lol
No wonder a lot of us women get depressed, we aim for the impossible!! Love what God gave ya and make the best of it!!
Thank you :D
I’d just like to say, as a Digital Photographer who uses Photoshop to process images, I’m loving the before and after shots. See how much work went into making her look a million dollars? How much time did that take? And she’s pretty hot to start with, you wouldn’t have thought it’d be necessary! Anyway, good on Debenhams and Britney Spears (never thought I’d type that!) for being brave and honest!
I hate photoshopping (and the exposure of it – sorry) for a few reasons.
#1. It is an unrealistic goal when you see models in magazines. If no one really looks that way, why are the photoshopping? I do get the skin part. If you have a pimple or something, airbursh it out. Hell, it will be gone in a few days anyway. That’s not a misrepresentation.
#2. Now it’s good to be realistic, but we see real people everyday. Some of them actually look like the “after” photo of the model. So in a sense it could be true. But what I have seen a lot of people do is look at models and say she’s not real, and then it gives them a reason to abuse/neglect their own bodies.
No I don’t want to look like Kate Moss. First, she’s white, I’m Black – so never gonna happen. But I do want to be the best Nicole, the healthiest Nicole I can be. I look at fashion magazines for the clothes. It doesn’t matter how it looks on the model. How is it going to look on me.
public sometimes just take whatever was given to them.If they receive fake beauty, they just take it..
thans for great sharing
this is an amazing article!
i think if they would let real women be themselves and be seen more there wouldnt be nearly the amount of eating disorders or selfimage problems.
honestly I wouldn’t have figured out the difference if someone didn’t point it out. this is pretty ridiculous
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