Last Friday we blogged about Photoshop turning 25 and marveled at how far we have come with technology during that time. But we would be remiss not to touch on the dark side of how Photoshop has contributed to unrealistic perfectionism with all things visual in advertising images, including those of the human physique. Yes, we’re referring to the love/hate relationship we seem to have as a culture with Photoshopped images of celebrities and the subsequent debate it sparks about stereotypes in media and advertising.
There has been a growing and disturbing recent trend of unretouched celebrity photos being “leaked” to reveal exactly what has been concealed or enhanced. Aside from privacy concerns, of course these things spread like wildfire via social media and stoke the fires of the debate from many angles. Celebrity fans either decry their idol’s privacy breech or scold them for being “dishonest.” Internet “trolls” hide behind anonymous usernames and write judgmental digs. But mostly, the dialogue seems to be of the positive variety, as in, “Well, it’s about time we realized that celebrities are human too. Nobody’s perfect.”
Except for a recent Calvin Klein ad featuring Justin Beiber, these leaked photos are usually of women, and among these sorts of headlines, which you can find on a weekly, if not daily, basis:
Beyonce’s unretouched photos from L’Oreal campaign leak online
Unretouched Madonna Pics Leaked, Turns Out She’s Not Immune to Aging After All
Cindy Crawford Unretouched: The Model’s Body Makes Waves
Leaked just over a week ago, the Cindy Crawford photos were connected with Marie Claire’s upcoming April 2015 issue with 100% unretouched photos (excluding ads, of course!).
What’s the fascination? Are we just voyeurs or catty haters who feel better about ourselves after seeing celebrities’ imperfections pointed out on the world stage? Or have we finally taken a cue from Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign, and somehow created a successful dialogue about how to change — or at least lift the veil on — unrealistic media portrayals of women?
Is something particular and recent going on in the media or in our culture? What role has social media played in questioning our traditionally held standards of beauty? And most relevant to our line of work with how content marketing fits into the larger spectrum, how does the visual content — honest or not — affect our ability to tell an authentic and compelling story?
More to come on this in a three-part “trend watcher” series. Stay tuned!
At Shift Key, we make communication capital. We are journalists who know how to create original content, the foundational layer of digital marketing. We understand audience and the information your audience wants – whether you are an agency, brand, company or non-profit. Content is the bedrock of digital marketing. Shift Key creates unique and informative content that feeds marketing activities across a mounting number of channels, generating buzz for brands and leads for products and services.