Gee...I wonder why women have body issues...

danasings

Holy crap, Madonna is quite haggard looking

She's 54 years old. I think she looks fantastic.

BeingAwesome247

Oh boo. Maybe if parents took the time to teach their children about self esteem and healthy body image, everyone wouldn't be so quick to point the finger of blame at magazines/ads/commercials.

Anyone ever remember that PSA where the model went from being average to drop dead gorgeous? I'm pretty sure it was Cindy Crawford. My mother made it a point to show that to me regularly when I was a child. She made it a point to reinforce the idea that while models and celebrities ARE gorgeous, they're not nearly as perfect as magazine covers would lead you to believe.

She also reinforced the idea that one's insides are infinitely more gorgeous than their outsides. Now THERE'S a concept.

These women are EXPECTED to look perfect. Let's be honest, if they magazine ran the unphotoshopped Kim K. picture, no one would be saying "OMG FINALLY SHE LOOKS SO REAL." They'd be saying, "Daaaammmmnn, girl's letting herself go." Magazines photoshop and perfect their images because that's what the consumer WANTS.

Do I think some of the images are overly photoshopped? Yes. But for the most part, they're already gorgeous women who've just been glossed over. Nothing to get upset about.

Teach your children that this is the norm, that magazine covers and ads AREN'T how those women look day to day, and maybe, just maybe, there won't be such an issue.

Stop passing the blame.

Rjsmith07

If I want to see average girls, I'll just go outside and look around. I think magazine covers are a nice escape from reality where you can see perfection.

It also gives everyone something to shoot for. When I real Men's Health and see the guys with the perfect abs, it gives me something to strive for. I use it as motivation more than anything else.

Average girls??? That was pretty low. You must be one that makes women feel that they should be better than they are. Looking at a picture on magazine does not cause me to strive to look like them especially when clearly its not reality. Anyone can look good in photoshop.

I don't agree with what he said.....but I also think you got ramped up really quickly. Tough day today huh?





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No I do not think I did and no its not a tough day. He was very arrogant minded to say what he did and that is one of the reasons women have issues with theirselves, so no I do not feel I got "ramped" up too quickly when I strongly disagree with calling women "average" bc they are not on a magazine cover and obviously not to his standards.

KatieLou6585

Having been in the media business for a second, it is hands down all about money. They don't care about what you want or don't want or how you feel. Put a beautiful face on a cover and 9 times out of 10 it will catch the consumer's eye and then the headlines will do the rest. Cha-ching! $5 for a bunch of pretty colored paper with pictures on it.

Should parents teach their children about self esteem and body image? Of course, but how many parents are out there that are broken adults? How many parents are out there who are barely holding on to their own self worth for whatever reason? How many times does a mother tell herself in a day that she is fat, her hair isn't right, she's too short, too tall, too slow, too tired, too this or too that? How can she possibly explain to her daughter the trappings of the visual media when she can't even enjoy a non self-critical day?

Does media take things a little too far sometimes? Of course (i.e. Ralph Lauren a few years ago). Do parents ignore what children are bombarded with? Totally. But at the end of the day, magazines are trying to make money, stay relevant, and stay afloat. Hell...even Oprah has her *kitten* photo shopped on her covers. What do you expect? It is a fantasy. I am to the point in my life now where most of the time that crap doesn't bother me and maybe that's because I've seen the other side of it, but it isn't real. It just another form of escapism. Reality TV isn't real. Taylor Swift's surprise "OMG I won" face isn't real. And what you see on a mag cover or in between the perfect bound pages isn't real either.

Probably one of the most thoughtful posts I've read.

MaraDiaz

I didn't say censor. I said don't bring them to school. Big huge difference. These are not study materials and some parents would prefer their children weren't constantly exposed to them more than they already are, so why not forbid them in schools?

Also, I started crash dieting in the 1980s, so yeah, way before this stuff was well known.

While I get what you're trying to say, banning them would just increase the appeal.

That could be an issue. Well, hopefully teachers and school officials will fill in some parenting gaps by doing presentations on what is being done with these ads. They used to come talk to us about all kinds of things, drugs, alcohol, peer pressure this that and the other, why not talk about unrealistic expectations of beauty?

Actually some schools probably already do.

But as I said in my very first post in this thread, it's an uphill fight. It's not only cultural, it's partly biological.

concordancia

It also gives everyone something to shoot for. When I real Men's Health and see the guys with the perfect abs, it gives me something to strive for. I use it as motivation more than anything else.

Numerous studies have shown that people who regularly look at underweight, photoshopped perfection as motivation are twice as likely to give up as people whom seek their motivation in something achievable.

Also, I just don't buy their magazines. If more people would vote with their money, they would stop doing it.

Admiral_Derp

Those are very slight photo-shopped corrections. They are just turning a 9.5 into a 10. NBD.

Not quite. They turned 10s into something completely unrealistic and unattainable.

In real life, everyone has some degree of pores, eye sockets, nasolabial folds , unruly tufts of hair, and various lumps, bumps and creases in the skin and clothes when in certain positions. It's a sad world when editors feel Katy Perry's spectacular boobs need "enhancing." :noway:

Can we talk about those on a public forum? *covers eyes*

Absolutely this and what Gonzo said.

OP, there have been posts I have been flat out ripped over the coals for pointing out, "Why base one's looks or self-perception on anything external?" when women have been, "Do you really think so and so is a size 0?" or "Which celebrity do you wish you could look like?"

My answer is always,

vickyg1

If I want to see average girls, I'll just go outside and look around. I think magazine covers are a nice escape from reality where you can see perfection.

It also gives everyone something to shoot for. When I real Men's Health and see the guys with the perfect abs, it gives me something to strive for. I use it as motivation more than anything else.

Average girls??? That was pretty low. You must be one that makes women feel that they should be better than they are. Looking at a picture on magazine does not cause me to strive to look like them especially when clearly its not reality. Anyone can look good in photoshop.

I don't agree with what he said.....but I also think you got ramped up really quickly. Tough day today huh?





M.F.P. Hottest Person/M.F.P. Most awesome person
Ice cream afficionado
"Winning" Certified Instructor
Been in gifs for 2 years and have studied custom gif creation

vickyg1

Yes things did escalate rather quickly

neandermagnon

It shouldn't create body image issues for grown a$$ed women who realize, it's a lot of photoshopping. Personally I judge myself to my own standards and my own standards alone.
Any body image issues I may have, have nothing to do with any woman I've seen in the media or on a magazine.

It only concerns me the body image issues that it creates in very young women/teens. That scares the crap out of me.
However, I truly think great parenting should solve that.

The more young women are taught that strong and fit is great, that their minds and hearts are much more important than the aesthetics in the long run.. the better.
It would be lovely if we were all fit with gorgeous faces. But we aren't all alike.

^^^^ this. and I think that pages like the OP linked to are really useful for concerned parents to show their daughters (or sons, for that matter!), so they can learn from a young age what photoshopping is, why magazines do it, and what celebrities really look like prior to photoshopping. I have two daughters and I plan to ensure they understand all this. Along with generally teaching them to accept themselves for who they are and encouraged to do sport and be strong and fit, I think this would go a long way to preventing photoshopping on magazines etc from doing any damage.

Spokez70

The Kelly Clarkson one makes me the angriest....... >:[

That one took some serious photoshop skills- not digging on her 'before' just saying (technically speaking) it's impressive.

Kristen81

Most of them aren't that much different. Skin tones and a few freckles or wrinkles here and there. No biggie. BUT, if anyone thought that Kim Kardashians big legs and butt ( not in a bad way) were as smooth as pictures show, then you're nuts!

sarahstrezo

Having been in the media business for a second, it is hands down all about money. They don't care about what you want or don't want or how you feel. Put a beautiful face on a cover and 9 times out of 10 it will catch the consumer's eye and then the headlines will do the rest. Cha-ching! $5 for a bunch of pretty colored paper with pictures on it.

Should parents teach their children about self esteem and body image? Of course, but how many parents are out there that are broken adults? How many parents are out there who are barely holding on to their own self worth for whatever reason? How many times does a mother tell herself in a day that she is fat, her hair isn't right, she's too short, too tall, too slow, too tired, too this or too that? How can she possibly explain to her daughter the trappings of the visual media when she can't even enjoy a non self-critical day?

Does media take things a little too far sometimes? Of course (i.e. Ralph Lauren a few years ago). Do parents ignore what children are bombarded with? Totally. But at the end of the day, magazines are trying to make money, stay relevant, and stay afloat. Hell...even Oprah has her *kitten* photo shopped on her covers. What do you expect? It is a fantasy. I am to the point in my life now where most of the time that crap doesn't bother me and maybe that's because I've seen the other side of it, but it isn't real. It just another form of escapism. Reality TV isn't real. Taylor Swift's surprise "OMG I won" face isn't real. And what you see on a mag cover or in between the perfect bound pages isn't real either.

Probably one of the most thoughtful posts I've read.

I could not agree more.

Also.....instead of parents telling their kids that they are beautiful, thus praising something they did nothing to accomplish...what if they told them that they were proud of the effort that they put into something. That the work/effort you put into a task is more important than the end result. I know I would rather hear, "wow...all your hard work is really showing...you are getting so strong" than "you are pretty".

MaraDiaz

One thing that having a teenager has taught me is that they aren't going to necessarily care about the important stuff no matter what you tell them.

I say to my son, "Bad backs run in our family, you need to work out to build those muscles around your spine." He's like yeah, whatever.

I say, "If you work out you'll feel great afterward!" He rolls his eyes.

I say, "You should come running with me," He doesn't look up from his video game.

I say, "You should eat this instead of that, it's really bad for your health." You think he listens? Hell no.


But I guarantee you the first time he's interested in a girl and she turns him down because he doesn't have a six pack he'll be begging for a gym membership and changing his diet.

That's just the reality.

Kristen81

And also...if you get a complex because you're too foolish to know that these women are photoshopped, that's your problem and no one elses. As an adult you should know better. And if you're an adult with young daughters, then you should be letting them know these things so they don't end up like you.

SueGremlin

Those are very slight photo-shopped corrections. They are just turning a 9.5 into a 10. NBD.

I find it to be a pretty big deal to assign a number to a human being. That is pretty disgusting.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I think we all understand that generally women are going to want "imperfections" photoshopped if possible. So the bags under the eyes, pores, moles, getting perkier boobs, etc... I can totally understand. What kills me are the pictures where muscles are photoshopped out (to give a long lean look) rather than a fit/strong look. If it were me, I'd be pissed! I worked for those muscles!! (And the Kelly Clarkson one is just ridiculous. They easily shaved off 20+ pounds!)

Yeah, making arms looks smaller is annoying.

sillygoosie

I have more body issues from being on this site, watching how nasty women can be about various body types than from beautiful women in magazines. It's no secret that commercial photos are all fixed and airbrushed.

MM_1982

If anything, articles like this should make everyone feel much better about themselves. It goes to show that nobody (even supermodels) are perfect.

lovetobethin86

wow!! the one of Faith, she looks like 20 pounds lighter in the photoshopped one. wtf?!!