Earlier today I read a very interesting article on ‘Shine’ regarding several recent examples of celebrities who are resisting the use of doctored and digitally-enhanced images of themselves in the media.
There are some particularly strange examples of celebrities looking wonderful au naturel, but being altered, no doubt to please the tastes of those who thought that they needed enhancement. They didn’t – natural beauty is the only beauty.
I am hoping that this is the start of a movement against the use of routinely-altered images, and I used the word ‘altered’ rather than enhanced, deliberately.
Magazine covers are dominated by images that are nothing more than digital creations inspired by photography, and in doing so they manipulate their readers and society in a way that is damaging for both men and women.
Men are too often presented with unrealistic images of women that corrupt their understanding of real beauty, and objectify and sexualise women.
In turn, women are bombarded by ‘idealised’ images that they can never hope to live up to, but feel under increasing pressure to do so, no doubt contributing to increasing prevalence of self-esteem issues and eating disorders that we read about in the same magazines that place these images on their covers.
I hope that the recent move away from celebrities wanting to be airbrushed is the start of a change in attitudes towards the manipulation of images – and society.
Let’s see natural beauty, not manufactured confections…
