To retouch or not to retouch? That is the question. It seems this particular subject is one that apparently gets under the skin of both industry and non-industry folks. It strikes quite the raw nerve with people some times. Many times I've found myself caught up in the debate, and every time I ask myself, "Why the hell do I care so much?". It seems this has become a heavy moral question for so many.
Like most artists, I think I strive to achieve the best quality work I can produce, and that usually comes with acquiring some kind of new knowledge to increase my skill set. I'm sure this isn't unusual for any field. It's just the nature of progress, right? With great power comes great responsibility...or so they say. Fashion companies, cosmetic companies, even automobile companies display images of the happy smiling, "perfect" people . And we can't help but want to be them, right? We're bombarded with these ads everyday. Almost all the time. Some say we've developed an unhealthy sense of beauty because of all this. Some would even say that it's become a "plague". But is this true?
We act as if this "plague" is something new to our culture in our modern world. That the advent of Photoshop, amazing though it is, is the root of this new evil. At least that's what I hear from articles I've read and posts I've seen on Facebook and Google+. This "plague" isn't new. If you think think that artists during the Renaissance period didn't alter their portraits of their benefactors, you're out of your mind. The difference between then and now, of course, is that we have a huge marketing machine driving the current view. But the point is, this is a human condition - not a condition derived from a piece of software. I watched a TED Talk to covered some interesting points related to this.
One company has taken this to heart and decided to get ride of it all together. American Eagle is keeping it honest with their #AerieREAL campaign which contains no airbrushing and eschews the supermodel image. Aerie's Chief Merchandising Officer Jennifer Foyle said last year, "We want to empower young women to be confident in themselves and their bodies." That's fantastic! Aerie's Instagram feed lives up to this standard. They are featuring women of all body shapes. Even better because beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Interestingly enough, their sales have increased about ten percent since this campaign began.
Our view of beauty, in terms of shape and size, has fluctuated over time, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. But I really don't think Photoshop is the problem. Actually, I'm positive Photoshop isn't the problem. Photoshop is nothing more than a tool. It's another paint brush in the painter's arsenal. The problem honestly resides in the individuals that are using this tool. Images will always need some kind of retouching. That's the truth. The question is to what extent? We get so caught up in the hype that were can't actually see what's going on or what the real problem happens to be.
Is there As my good friend and fellow photographer, Katie, loves to say, "We need to be kinder to ourselves and to each other." Spot on. So, is there a fix for this debacle? Probably not. But, before you decide to bash the use of Photoshop, think about the makeup you put on. Think about the choices in your clothing? More importantly, think about your decisions for using all of them? Are you not doing the same kind of thing?
So, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
We act as if this "plague" is something new to our culture in our modern world. That the advent of Photoshop, amazing though it is, is the root of this new evil. At least that's what I hear from articles I've read and posts I've seen on Facebook and Google+. This "plague" isn't new. If you think think that artists during the Renaissance period didn't alter their portraits of their benefactors, you're out of your mind. The difference between then and now, of course, is that we have a huge marketing machine driving the current view. But the point is, this is a human condition - not a condition derived from a piece of software. I watched a TED Talk to covered some interesting points related to this.
One company has taken this to heart and decided to get ride of it all together. American Eagle is keeping it honest with their #AerieREAL campaign which contains no airbrushing and eschews the supermodel image. Aerie's Chief Merchandising Officer Jennifer Foyle said last year, "We want to empower young women to be confident in themselves and their bodies." That's fantastic! Aerie's Instagram feed lives up to this standard. They are featuring women of all body shapes. Even better because beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Interestingly enough, their sales have increased about ten percent since this campaign began.
Our view of beauty, in terms of shape and size, has fluctuated over time, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. But I really don't think Photoshop is the problem. Actually, I'm positive Photoshop isn't the problem. Photoshop is nothing more than a tool. It's another paint brush in the painter's arsenal. The problem honestly resides in the individuals that are using this tool. Images will always need some kind of retouching. That's the truth. The question is to what extent? We get so caught up in the hype that were can't actually see what's going on or what the real problem happens to be.
Is there As my good friend and fellow photographer, Katie, loves to say, "We need to be kinder to ourselves and to each other." Spot on. So, is there a fix for this debacle? Probably not. But, before you decide to bash the use of Photoshop, think about the makeup you put on. Think about the choices in your clothing? More importantly, think about your decisions for using all of them? Are you not doing the same kind of thing?
So, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
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