See Britney’s Unretouched Candie’s Ads
 

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/...retouched.html

http://images.nymag.com/images/2/dai..._1_560x375.jpg

According to the Mirror, Britney Spears didn't want her Candie's ads to be retouched, which is quite the trendy thing to do these days. She apparently agreed to have the unretouched images released alongside the retouched images, which will presumably serve as the new campaign. As you can see they made her considerably thinner, smoothed her skin, toyed with the shadows, and eliminated any awkward, um, bathing-suit bunching in the crotch area.

http://images.nymag.com/images/2/dai..._2_560x375.jpg

But the question is, would either of these images inspire you to buy the shoes?

I'm being 100% serious when I say, THEY'RE SELLING SHOES?!?!?! I honestly thought they were selling Swimsuits. :eek:

acwk! :eek:
i just lost my lunch.

Yeah, literally the last thing I notice about this ad are the shoes....

Somebody else got there way earlier than Britney Spears did - - - Thinking it was Jennifer Aniston but I'm not sure. At any rate, she's not exactly being original here.
More power to 'er, though.

On Edit: Oh I remember now - - It was Kate Winslet! :)

I think she's hot in both :D

Uh, Britney dear?

When people want to see my new shoes, I don't strip down to my underwear first. Then again, I'm not a multimillionare has-been poptart, so what do I know?

she looks pretty good, considering she's had 2 kids and she's crazy. i've seen way more shocking before/after retouching photos (faith hill, anyone?).

Oooooh that sounds interesting.

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...ranime0707.gif

Other celebrity touch ups:
http://www.hemmy.net/2007/05/25/cele...ter-photoshop/

*cough* In The Meantime *cough*

Faith Hill is so pretty un-retouched! Why'd they have to do anything with it? Not everyone has to be a stick.

I also wish they'd drop all of this 're-touching'. I mean, these are real people and fans are going to see these people in real life and see a big difference between the pics and reality. Not everyone is going to have a 'perfect' body and weigh 80 pounds!

i agree with this also.

Don't even go there :shocked:

I use photoshop, but it makes me sick. I have a friend who slims her own arms down. The mind boggles.

How shall I phrase this?
Hmmm...

They needed have bothered. . . . . :blob2:

(Gorgeous is gorgeous. ;) )

On a more serious note though, I have to wonder not just what signal it sends to the buyers of the magazines (etc.), but to the individual stars themselves. I betcha every single one of those young ladies felt that had been given a take-home message of,
"We had to touch-up your photo, because you're so ucking fugly!..."
I betcha out of every 100 women that would be considered by most to be "beautiful,"
there's maybe one that kinda-sorta almost half believes it. Guys think they won't give them the time of day 'cause they're "stuck-up" - - - Maybe they just don't believe in their hearts that they're worth talking to.

i am totally over this characterization of women as victims of the Big Bad Media.

Thank you! One of my feminist neighbors is always spouting off about this. And about how all women in porn are victimized, etc. When it comes to women in entertainment of any sort, they're the big draws... so they're the ones with the power, in my book. Faith, Britney, et al are the ones who have the last word regarding their image, period.

^ And they knew what they were getting into. I doubt anyone has any illusions about what the industry demands.

I understand retouching, I mean who wouldn't jump at the chance to have all their percieved 'flaws' magically removed? ;) However, in the original version of this picture her expression is warm and friendly; you can see her laughter lines etc. She looks as though she's enjoying herself. The retouched pic just takes away some of that human warmth, IMO.

Try again.

I haven't seen this "enhancement" before. It's not quite as subtle as Britney's!

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/image...8_ef22901d.jpg

I think she would have looked just fine in the "before" shot if she didn't use so much blush (which accentuates her cartoonishly-plump cheek implants!).

Except that when pulled into it Britney was a child and so unable to comprehend the reality of what she got into. For someone who had an image of external perfection I think for her to do this Candies ad was brave and speaks to her having done some work to be more emotionally healthy.

I hate magazines and won't buy them because they make me feel fat, ugly, and poor. Exactly how they are designed to make you feel so you'll buy the products advertised in them to "fix" yourself. I know, nobody can make me feel what I don't already feel about myself. But where did these feelings about myself come from? I remember at 11 years old thinking that if my body didn't become I certain shape when I matured that I would "fix" it. I also wanted to "fix" my nose and chin. How much control did I have over this early conditioning that has partly shaped who I am?

Everyone is influenced by their environment. We like to think we have 100% control over ourselves but really we are also influenced by external factors. Both have an impact on self-image. Our "culture" is critical and impossible and I hate it. I reject the notion that I have to look perfect or even try to. That said I will always be vain and try to look my best. Lol.

The Big Lie
 

Jezebel has a good article on what I've been thinking of as the big lie for a long time. Already written by another very smart person ;) The big lie is the last of the 5.

http://jezebel.com/262130/the-five-g...mens-magazines

Science backs up ALL women have body issues.

http://tinyurl.com/y7lbbcx

I think we need to change what we call this because if it is ubiquitous then is it an issue that women have or is it a cultural issue? It isn't a mental health issue, healthy women "have it" too. Dr. Weil has spoken to this and says we have a huge bias toward thinness in American culture which he believes actually skews the weight charts - meaning you can probably weigh a bit more than the charts say and still be healthy.

I hope people start paying attention to this. I am very sad for our girls having EVEN MORE pressure on them than we had in the 80s. I can't believe how much worse this has gotten and it is so sad. Girls, your weight is not your worth!

Okay I know I am conversing with myself at this point. Lol. :wavey:

^ Eh, I guess it's possible. I think the weight charts are pretty right on though, as there's a pretty wide range of "normal." Of course, many women probably strive to be on the lowest end of normal :laugh:

I go back & forth on this issue, with others & with myself. I try to strive to be the best I can be for me. I feel better when I'm a certain size - healthier, more confident, more active. I don't think I'm a lesser person when I'm not that size. :shrug: I don't think the media has brainwashed me into thinking I have to be a certain size or weight.

I work closely with a counseling center at work, and they have a "end fat talk" campaign to encourage people to stop saying "omg, I'm so fat" and things of that sort, especially if they are not overweight.
However. Where does that stop? I mean, it's wonderful if you're confident & feel great about yourself @ 5'5" and 200 pounds. Good for you. But the bottom line is that it's not healthy; or at least it won't be in the long run. So big is beautiful is all fine & good, but it's certainly not good for you.

It's such a no-win situation, really. I have issues with my own body -- like every woman, as you've pointed out -- and I used to feel terrible for having them. I used to feel like it was vain and superficial to worry about your appearance, and that I was simply surrendering to media pressure and had no mind of my own.

But virtually every woman (and plenty of guys too!) feel this way -- it is a cultural thing, as other posters have said, and absolutely pervasive, whether you read those glossy magazines or not. The simple presence of thin, beautiful women in movies and on advertising campaigns forces us to make these upward comparisons and of course we don't measure up.

So I don't feel guilty any more for being concerned about my body and its imperfections, and that acceptance has actually been quite freeing, in an odd way! :shrug:

Yes! This worry is not a disorder. It's the way most women think now and some men. It just is. The language hasn't caught up to this fact IMO. IDK what we should call it but to call it a body issue puts it on the woman alone like she is defective and this is not the case.

That said it does get to be a disorder with some when it is more extreme. Your family of origin of course comes into play. Was your mother okay with her body? No, in my case. Was there an emphasis on physical beauty and bias toward that in your household? Yes. Were your parent(s) critical of your appearance? Yes. Etc... Also certain genetic traits would predispose someone for such a disorder to come out. So no not everyone is affected the same way or to the same degree by the culture.

This girl has body dysmorphic disorder but it's around her face. http://jezebel.com/5520683//gallery/

I didn't get around to touching it up yet. ;)