Our Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to educate our viewers about the widespread use of retouching in print publications. Retouching implies making minor changes to photographs. However, modern advances in photo editing software allow photographs of individuals to be transformed into manufactured projections of reality.

Mostly commonly, retouching is used to enhance positive characteristics of an individual, although sometimes negative aspects are emphasized. Unlike a Barbie doll or animated character, these retouched images are portrayed as living, unimagined, portrayals of individuals in society. The truth is that most of the images we see in print publications, as well as online, are just as fake as cartoons. When looking at these blog posts, try to think about the effects these images have on yourself and others, especially younger generations.We are not trying to judge the rightness or wrongness of retouching; rather, we want to increase awareness about the prevalence of retouching so that media consumers are able better construct meanings from the images they encounter.

Five Steps to Media Literacy

1. Describe - Describe media product(s) by indentifying noteworthy elements or characteristics.

2. Analyze - Look for patterns that call for closer attention. Categorize those words!

3. Interpret - Try to determine meanings of patterns. What is the connection between the categories?

4. Evaluate - Make an informed judgment about media product

5. Engage - Take some action!

After viewing our blog, we hope you feel better knowing the world often being sold to us is not as perfect as it seems. We encourage you to post comments. Thank you for visiting!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Retouching: A Hollywood Demand, Not Request




Retouching has become so mainstream today that almost every celebrity has their own freelance retoucher to perfect images of them. Publicists demand this, and what used to be a rarity has become common place among Hollywood elites.

So, these images of perfection can be seen in most (if not every) magazine and television ad. Editors assume that readers understand that the images they see are altered in some way. But, does everyone really have a grasp on just how drastically these images are retouched? Probably not. This can cause feeling of stress for people, especially girls, to achieve the impossible. And when they can't, feelings of failure, hopelessness and loss of control set in. These feelings can be linked to eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia.

8 comments:

  1. Something interesting is how quickly retouching became mainstream. Especially since it used to be only available to celebrities but just like any trend it is leaking out to all different types of people and their lives. Photoshop has retouching features and tutorials that teach people to whiten teeth, brighten iris color, trim body fat, thicken hair, etc. It no longer is just for celebrities anyone with a computer can alter their appearance.

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  2. I knew that there was retouching, but I never knew the extent to which they did it. I think some retouching is ok, but the amount that is being done is outrageous. It's a false appearence, and it gives false hope for anyone who wants to have a "celebrity body", which turns out to be unattainable.

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  3. This is false advertising on the account of individual celebrities. I believe this is may cause relational problems. Boyfriends, fiances, and husbands may make unrealistic comparisons between photoshopped women and their girlfriends and wives.

    This is out of control.

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  4. This lady is beautiful the way she is, she doens't need retouching. Now that she's seen what she can look like is she going to question herself and how she looks? People that look perfectly fine in their natural skin grow compelexities because of crap like this.

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  5. Girl is Looking So beautiful after retouching.it is really Good Work .

    Photo restoration

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  6. Wow! This video tutorial is really great. Looks like I don't have to rely on any image masking services provider from now as I have this tutorial now!!

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  7. It's really a great and helpful piece of info. I'm glad that you just shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete