Blog Entry #4
OK - so we all know very well that pretty much every image in the media that we see has been magically touched by Photoshop. Photoshop can be a great tool - but it can also be an evil weapon. We would argue that most images that are used in the media have been photo shopped just a bit too much. The following video is an example of the wonders of Photoshop. Watch as the woman gets transformed from beginning to end:
From hair and make-up artists to Photoshop techniques, the woman at the end looks much different than the woman who initially sat in the chair.
Recently, I discovered a Photoshop parody online. I informed Ms. Parise about it and we watched it together. This led to a conversation about how peoples’ self esteem are affected by the images they see in the media. Please take a moment to watch the following video:
From hair and make-up artists to Photoshop techniques, the woman at the end looks much different than the woman who initially sat in the chair.
Recently, I discovered a Photoshop parody online. I informed Ms. Parise about it and we watched it together. This led to a conversation about how peoples’ self esteem are affected by the images they see in the media. Please take a moment to watch the following video:
There are uncountable amounts of magazines and advertising companies that do this sort of thing - shave off a little bit here, push up a little bit there. In the end, sometimes it crosses the line. What kind of message is being pushed onto us if these are the kind of examples we see each day?
Here is a little example of how one of the photo editors did the same thing to one of their colleagues at the National Post:
According to Wikipedia:
“The media's influence on our perception of body images has become one of the most significant crisis's in the lives of young males and females. The sources of mass media, including advertisements, fashion industries, music videos all tend to manipulate society through unrealistic or unhealthy thin body images that paint the picture of perfection of what true beauty should be. Along with product marketing, media tends to utilize various forms of media psychology to possibly influence a set standard of beauty or what is known as the “picture perfect body” for society to carry out. As a result of this, many young adults, especially young males and females, tend to idealize images of their favourite celebrities and/or models presented within media, into their minds.”
Based on the videos you watched above and the excerpt you read, please comment on the questions below in your blog post:
1. Why do you think people are portrayed this way in the media?
2. How are you affected by the images you see?
3. What can be done to reduce the amount of young men and women that are negatively affected by these images?
4. What would your reaction be to a magazine cover where the subject isn’t all glammed up? Is this a possible route that society should take? Why or why not?
