PERFECT WITHOUT PHOTOSHOP

Whoever flicks through an ancient magazine immediately spots one thing: models have pores. I have dozens of stacks of magazines at home, some of them more than 20 years old. Leafing through them I realized that the models have ordinary skin with pores, hairs, spots; just real human skin. Since Photoshop you no longer see this in magazines nor do we see rolls, pits or flabs.

There’s always the issue that magazines and ads are portraying an unrealistic view disturbing the self-image of young women. Looking at the perfect bodies of Victoria’s Secrets girls and gorgeous models can be very confronting. Sometimes a magazine decides to feature a model on their cover with out retouching it, which immediately becomes world news. In 2010 Marie Claire US posted Jessica Simpson on the cover with the text: “No make up, no retouching, no regrets.”

A flawless Jessica smiled at the readers, no lines, no spots, nothing. American Eagle launched a campaign in 2014 for the sister brand Aerie, a lingerie brand aimed at girls between 15 and 21 years old. ‘Aerie Real’, was the name of the campaign and New York shops still display the gigantic posters on the walls. The idea of the campaign is the models have not been photoshopped, so what you see is what you get. The overall goal was to show a more healthy and realistic image of how women look, so not to lie to young target consumers by showing them pictures of unattainable feminine perfection.

How is this supposed to make me more self-confident?

The campaign has the opposite effect on me. With most photos you can think, ‘yes well that’s not what they really look like, I can look like that using Photoshop.’ This campaign doesn’t work like that. These women really are beautiful, really have a killer body and apparently don’t need Photoshop. I on the other hand, even when using the total photoshop package still get nowhere near their looks. How is that supposed to make me more self-confident?

Same goes for Jessica Simpson. I might just be me but there’s no chance in hell I’d look as radiant and pretty as her without makeup. Why is this good for my self-image? The slogan accompanying the Aerie campaign is: ‘The real you is sexy’, but I assume this only goes for those who look naturally perfect.

In summary, I’m not buying it. There’s still no real female body in sight even if it is a step in the right direction, as long as it’s allowed to print perfect women who aren’t Photoshopped we still have a long way to go.