Representation Nation: The Effects of the Distorted Body Ideal
In the United States, we are
constantly bombarded with advertisements everywhere we go. The models we see on
the covers of magazines are retouched in order to portray that “ideal” that we
all strive for. Most of the controversy surrounding Photoshop pertains to
female models however men are also affected by the unrealistic images of male
models. Photoshop has greatly impacted our society nowadays and how we look at
our own bodies. Not only does it affect women but it also affects men as they
try to look identical to these enhanced images. Although we have campaigns
against Photoshop, such as Aerie, it doesn’t seem as though they are changing
our desire to attain these ideal bodies.
Photoshop is a useful tool
that has been around for decades. Its expertise is manipulating photos in order
to have them perceived differently than that of the original. Photoshop was
introduced by the Knoll brothers in 1988. Thomas Knoll first came up with the
idea of photoshop in 1987 when his image had failed to look as he had hoped.
From that point on, Thomas and his brother went on to create the most popular
application for airbrushing and recreating images. Today, we see Photoshop
used in most advertisements around the country. “In Sept. 1988, a deal was
struck between the Knoll brothers and Adobe. All the wholesale rights of
Photoshop were purchased by Adobe. The Knoll brothers started working on their
product and released the first version Photoshop 1.0 in 1990.” ("History
of Photoshop: Journey from Photoshop 1.0 to Photoshop CS5") From then on,
Adobe has gone worldwide and is one of the most popular Photoshop
applications.
 |
| (This image is a Photoshopped version of the headshot of male model Joe Collier.) |
Within
the fashion industry, there have been many cases where original photos have
been leaked causing a Photoshop scandal. One of the bigger cases was the Ralph
Lauren scandal with fashion model Filippa Hamilton. In the Photoshopped image,
Filippa’s waist was shrunk down to be smaller than her head, which is
genetically impossible. The original, unretouched photo was leaked and Ralph
Lauren issued the following statement soon after, “After further investigation,
we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching
that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed
the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the
calibre of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.” ("11 Photo-Editing
Flubs: Ralph Lauren Ad Sparks Controversy") Filippa Hamilton was later
fired from Ralph Lauren for being ‘too big’ and not fitting into their sample
clothing. She is size 4. There is a direct correlation between retouched photos
like that of Filippa Hamilton and eating disorders in our country. When girls
see photos like that which are genetically impossible, they go to scary
measures to try to look like what they see. What many people don’t know is that
women are not the only ones with eating disorders, men suffer from them as
well.
 |
| (This image is a photoshopped version of an advertisement for Abercrombie and Fitch.) http://euniceannabel.blogspot.com/2012/10/hey-whats-going-on.html |
Eating disorders are extremely prevalent
in the United States with young women in high school and college. However, this
isn’t the only group of people that suffer from eating disorders. Men and middle-aged
women are also victims. “91% of women surveyed on a college campus had
attempted to control their weight through dieting. 22% dieted ‘often’ or ‘always.’”
(ANAD) This shows how eating disorders clearly exist in the college community. It
is a problem that has arisen within the past decade. In the film Miss Representation, we see the shocking reality of the way in which women are portrayed in society. Because women are depictied in such a degrading manner, it is harder for them to achieve leadership positions and roles. Not only that, but many girls and young women develop eating disorders because they see "perfect" looking women on magazine covers and feel like they have to look like them. The act of “dieting”, for
the most part, takes a downward spiral and becomes a problem. That is usually
when an eating disorder sets in.
 |
| (The image above is a photo of a very thin model at a New York Fashion show in 2006.) http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/blogs/the_angle/2012/02/fashion_designe.html |
Aerie Real is a campaign against
the usage of photo retouching. They are now using “real” girls – no supermodels
– and have vowed to not retouch any of their photos. Although I believe this is
a good idea, I don’t think it will change our desire to attain that “ideal”
body that we all strive for. It is refreshing to see these models with blemishes
and lines just like us. However, it seems as though Aerie has picked up new models
since their vow to never retouch photos. One could make a case that they got
models with more ‘natural beauty’. Another way to analyze their new and
improved photos is by looking at the body positions of the models. In the
attached photo (b), the camera angle is pointing downward at the model which
shows her vulnerability. Along with that, she is lying on a bed and giving the
camera a seductive look. This just goes to show that they are still portraying
women in the same way, just in a “better light” with the lack of photo
retouching. Aerie’s intention is headed in the right direction, but there will
have to be some bigger changes made in the media industry in order to shift our
worldly view of the idea body.
(a)
 |
| (This original image that I photoshopped is one from the Aerie Read Campaign. This retouched photo is how I imagined she would look had she been modeling for a magazine that retouches photos.) http://www.sparksummit.com/2014/02/14/real-girls-real-talk-id-give-aeriereal-a-b/ |
(b)
 |
| http://www.post-gazette.com/business/2014/01/18/Embodying-variety-STOCKS-OF-LOCAL-INTEREST/stories/201401180045 |
While
the issue of photo retouching largely pertains to female models and the body
issues of American girls all over the country, men are also affected by the
unrealistic images that shape our society. The Photoshopping of male and
female models is the same in the sense that they both portray our ‘idealistic’
version of the body but they are different in the way that they are Photoshopped. When female models are Potoshopped, often times they are slimmed
down, their chest is enlarged, and their skin is airbrushed to show no signs of
blemishes. Men, on the other hand, are usually given larger muscles and they
reduce the amount of hair on their body. “But we're also slowly learning that
it's not all digital airbrushing. According to the eye-opening infographic
below, there are countless other tricky ways that models and celebs get
gorgeous for those photo shoots, from strategic tanning to day-of crash dieting
to quickie workouts right before photos.” ("Transformation Photos Prove Photoshop
Isn't The Only Thing Making Models Look Perfect ") A lot of supermodels
undergo extreme diets, like juice cleanses, in order to look slim before big
photo shoots or fashion shows. Even though this is not a case of Photoshop, it is just another bad example that is set for young women who are already insecure with their own bodies.
 |
| (The image is a photoshopped version of a typical male model with a muscular physique and sharp, handsome face.) http://ftape.com/media/?p=58861 |
Taught from an early age,
boys and men alike feel that they have to earn a sense of masculinity that they
see every day in the media. “In a summary of television roles that remains an
accurate overall assessment, Fejees (1992)concluded that “men, as portrayed on
adult television, do not deviate much from the traditional patriarchal notion
of men and masculinity” (p. 12). They are generally portrayed in the media as
powerful and successful,” (Croteau and Hoynes 207) Men feel ‘weak’ if they
don’t live up to that standard of being masculine and tough. These standards translate
into advertisements that we see in magazines every day. Often times, when there
is a male and female in an advertisement, the male is in a dominant position
while the female is in a position that makes her look vulnerable. The man might
be standing over or in front of the woman. This sends a message to people,
whether it is conscious or subconscious, about the “roles” of men and women.
 |
| (The image is a Photoshopped version of a male model.I decided to put him in the middle of NYC where many models live and work.) http://www.socialitelife.com/male-model-monday-parke-ronen-springsummer-2012-collection-photos-09-2011 |
As a society that has gotten increasingly more involved with technology over the past decade, we are seeing advertisements to a greater extent. These advertisements are showing photos of men and women that are genetically unrealistic. This has been a big factor in the large amount of eating disorders in this country. Not only does the portrayal of women inflame the problem of eating disorders, but it also affects the leadership positions in which women are able to obtain. We are slowly progressing as campaigns are forming and the wieght of models is now being closely monitored. Campaigns like Aerie are just a start to the change we need to make in order to transform our concept of "idealism".
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/vogue-bans-skinny-models-16284800
Bibliography:
Croteau, David, and
William Hoynes. Media/Society. 5. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications,
Inc., 2014. 207. Print.
"Size 4 model: I
was fired for being too fat." Today Style. N.p., 14 Oct 2009. Web. 25 Mar
2014. http://www.today.com/id/33307721/ns/today-today_style/t/size-model-i-was-fired-being-too-fat/.
"Transformation Photos Prove Photoshop Isn't The Only Thing Making Models Look Perfect ." Huff Post Style. N.p., 18 Nov 2013. Web. 25 Mar 2014.< http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/transformation-photos_n_4295391.html
"Transformation Photos Prove Photoshop Isn't The Only Thing Making Models Look Perfect ." Huff Post Style. N.p., 18 Nov 2013. Web. 25 Mar 2014.< http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/transformation-photos_n_4295391.html
"11
Photo-Editing Flubs: Ralph Lauren Ad Sparks Controversy." abc News. N.p.,
8 Oct 2009. Web. 25 Mar 2014.
<http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/11-photo-editing-flubs-digitally-altered-photo-disasters/story?id=8780937>.
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