A few weeks ago, Greg was looking into upgrading Lightroom, our photo software. He’s gotten into digital photography, takes gorgeous pictures of our kids, and needs to be able to process and convert the raw images.
One discussion led to another, and he ended up explaining to me some of the reasons the new Adobe Photoshop package that includes Lightroom is so expensive… starting with the “liquefy” tool.
Liquify allows users to, um, liquify parts of images and change their shape, automatically populating the altered background with a computer rendition of what it thinks should be there.
Watching YouTube videos demonstrating the tool, I was shocked. I admit I can be a bit naive, but I assumed that when Meghan Trainor sang about magazines working that Photoshop, she was talking about people evening out celebrity skin tone and re-touching blemishes. I had no idea that they were altering waistlines, elongating necks and slimming down arms, too.
Technology is capable of altering photos to the point where there’s very little reality left.
The original photo is just a canvas for digital artists to create their own vision of perfection.
Here’s a great video that shows what some magazine covers have done to celebrity images. Now, it’s possible that the “before” images being “leaked” aren’t real either… but in some cases (such as Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar China) the images are so obviously distorted that it’s clear at least some magazines are significantly altering images. At the very least, it shows what’s possible.
Meghan Trainor says “we know that $(^t ain’t real, come on now make it stop”.
Well… I didn’t know just how unreal it was, and I doubt it’s going to stop anytime soon.
But I’m glad I know now, and as my sons get older, I want to make sure they know, too.
Magazine covers should be viewed as some sort of abstract digital art, and we should all remember that we could look that way if we had our own full-time digital artist rendering our photos.
Want to look sexier?
Smile more. When I look back at photos of myself from different points in life, I notice how happy I look before I notice anything else. A bright smile is blinding.
Want to love your body more?
Reflect on all the amazing things it can do.
Build upon that list.
My body takes me for long paddle-board rides and rainy day runs. It can haul four bags of heavily packed groceries out of the car simultaneously. It has no problem carrying a tired preschooler halfway across the mall. It’s learning to swim. It can make it through an endurance spin class and still have energy to play outside that afternoon. My body is freaking awesome.
Want to improve your love life?
Love your significant other. Be more understanding when they have a tough day. Act like MVP of your two person team. Laugh. Be compassionate.
My father-in-law is one of my favorite people because whenever I put my foot in my mouth, he spins what I said and takes it in the best way possible. He doesn’t take offense easily, in fact, it’s the opposite. He can build on a “not quite there” joke and make it hit the mark. He puts people at ease, and I know if I start back-tracking because I didn’t word something right, he’ll let me do it.
Be like that with your significant other.
So…
We can’t make it stop. But we can acknowledge that it’s not real, love our bodies for what they can do. We can work on our relationships and our health, and realize that will be more effective than agonizing about our appearance.
And sure, we can wear outfits that make us feel confident and apply some makeup, too, if we want. I love the way I look when I wear makeup. I look rested and put together, and it influences my behavior to match.
But our skin isn’t going to have an alien glow no matter what foundation you use, and celebrities don’t have perfect skin either despite the time and budget they invest into appearances.
So let it go.
And let’s make sure our kids get the message, too.