We all know the controversy behind magazines and ads photoshopping already perfect celebrities to make them reach an unattainable level of perfection. We’ve all seen it done in the Dove ad where they show a regular woman get contorted into a supermodel before our eyes, and various other awareness campaigns, but that still doesn’t make us feel a pang of jealousy every now and then when seeing a picture of someone’s perfectly toned tummy or long flowing hair. The fact is, no one is perfect, at all, and what these companies are trying to sell us is their ideal of perfection, which they promise you will achieve if you just buy their products. One of the many benefits of living in the Internet age is that we can expose these truths to make us feel less bad about ourselves. A couple of months ago, Target released some photos for their new swimwear line which were immediately taken down due to the horrible Photoshop skills. The women were made to look abnormally thin, to the point where the photos looked silly, exposing the brands biased view on perfection.
Photo courtesy of Jezebel.com
It’s not just Target that has been caught in a Photoshop scandal. It’s unfortunately a lot more popular than you may think. Many brands and companies have been caught in photoshopping scandals. When did our society become so obsessed with fitting into a certain mould? When did we start making people feel as though they need to contort their bodies a certain way in order to be considered beautiful? If the photos of these celebrities were released without all the airbrushing, people would probably feel a lot more confident in themselves and their flaws. Remember, no one is perfect. To bring light to this extremely controversial subject, I’ve decided to compile a list of some of the worst photoshop scandals to date. 1. Back in 1989, Photoshop had not yet existed, but companies were able to manipulate images to reach their ideal look. The TV Guide decided to fuse Oprah Winfrey’s head onto the body of 60s starlet Anne Margaret. Oprah has always been a curvier woman, so this change was acknowledged as soon as the magazine hit the stands.
Photo courtesy of Complex magazine
2. GQ cover girl Kate Winslet was outraged when her issue of the magazine was released in 2009. The Titanic star was stretched out and thinned out to appear more “model-like”. The worst part? Whoever photo-shopped the image forgot to alter the stars reflection in the mirror behind her which reveals her real body type.
Photo courtesy of Complex magazine
3. Vogue has been infamous for horribly photoshopping images of models, but this one takes the cake. Vogue China decided to just get rid of one of this model’s legs. I guess two legs look too fat, but the error was caught and went viral outing the magazine.
Photo courtesy of Complex magazine
4. In 2011, after Osama Bin Laden was captured, an infamous photo of President Barack Obama with his top aides in the White House situation room went viral. Two orthodox Jewish newspapers Di Tzeitung and Dee Voch decided to digitally remove Hilary Clinton and Audrey Tomason from the photo before publishing it.
Photo courtesy of Complex magazine
5. In 2009, Complex magazine published an un-retouched photo of Kim Kardashian on its website which was quickly replaced with a “cleaner”, photoshopped version. Kardashian spoke out on the issue saying “So what? I have a little cellulite, what curvy girl doesn’t? How many people do you think are Photoshopped? It happens all the time!”
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6. 2010 Rolling Stone cover girl Katy Perry went under the digital microscope as her photo was digitally enhanced to increase her bust size, decrease her waist size and remove any moles from her skin. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the first image.
Photo courtesy of Complex magazine
7. 2005 Dove campaign- yes that’s right I said Dove. The brand which has become famous for its celebration of beauty of all kinds was criticized when the person who doctored this specific campaign came forward claiming he was told to “show the mileage but not looking unattractive.”
Photo courtesy of Complex magazine
8. After the infamous 1994 OJ Simpson trial, the ex football player’s mugshot was plastered on almost every magazine, so when TIME magazine darkened the photo to make it look “more sinister”, it was criticized for its decision. The magazine was quoted as saying “The harshness of the mug shot—the merciless bright light, the stubble on Simpson’s face, the cold specificity of the picture—had been subtly smoothed and shaped into an icon of tragedy. The expression on his face was not merely blank now; it was bottomless.” Although the magazine came out with an explanation for its actions, it didn’t stop people from accusing it of being racist.
Photo courtesy of Complex magazine
