We hear about the evils of photo retouching all the time. Heck, we even snicker at some of the more egregious "Photoshop fails" that get "leaked" onto the Internet (no doubt by underpaid, under-appreciated underlings). But, while eradicating a cystic zit from a cover girl's face or making her look like she got just
a little more sleep may be nothing more than a modern day "smoke and mirrors" technique, when the tools are used to completely overhaul a person into some unattainable ideal of "beauty," things get warped. And that's scary.
Witness "Body Evolution," a video created two years ago by GlobalDemocracy.com to "demand mandatory disclaimers on all photos of airbrushed models." For whatever reason (my money's on the fact that it's just too compelling to stay buried among fuzzy kitty vids for too long), the video hit the web anew yesterday and is once again ruffling feathers and dropping jaws the world over.
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Now, no one's saying that the transformation we behold in "Body Evolution" happens at every single photo shoot, but the mere concept that it would happen at even
one is so disconcerting, so startling and so sad that it needs to be discussed. "Why do we do this to ourselves?" "What are we teaching our young girls?" "Why can't we be happy with what's already beautiful?" are just some of the topics that have been raised.
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Have a look, or a second or third, and let us know your thoughts; are you appalled? Outraged? Nonplussed? Please share
your feelings so we can get the conversation started here.