To Photoshop or Not to Photoshop

To photoshop or not to photoshop: that is indeed the question in this media-obsessed world. Sending an untouched photo out into the world can be dangerous for a celebrity to do. However, sending a photoshopped picture into the world may be harmful to the body images of children and teenagers as they grow and develop. People become discouraged when they do not measure up to what they percieve as attainable perfection. What makes these pictures dangerous is that they are unattainable. No diet or skin treatment could make a person as flawless as a magazine covergirl. Even models have flaws.

However, some people become defensive at the idea that photoshopping pictures can create an unheatly environment. People feel attacked and think that organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA) want to ban photoshop altogether. This is not the case. Photoshop is a valid tool for creative expression. Many photographers use photoshop to correct their images and make them closer to the original subject matter. Other photographers are more creative and use photoshop to give their photos an otherworldly feel. This is not wrong.

What is wrong, is photoshopping a celebrity to make them look flawless and portraying the photo as truth. These pictures should have warnings to inform the veiwers that the photos have been altered. This would help to change the mindset that these body types and unblemished skins are attainable. It would be better if the people of the world could learn to accept flaws. Blemishes, scars, stretch marks, and flab make people who they are. These flaws do not define us, but if we let them, they can enhance our character.

This blog post was inspired by Vivian Diller's article, "Is Photoshop Destroying America's Body Image?"

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