Do you think photoshopping on men is a problem? What about photoshopping inanimate objects?
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It has been well documented on this site and all across the web about the ridiculous photoshopping practices of advertisers and marketers that create unrealistic and unattainable physical attributes for women. But what about the guys?
Now I don’t want to turn this in to a his and her battle of the sexes, but I feel that my sex has been under represented in this debate. If I haven’t felt insecure about my body on the way to work, then the newsagent vendors haven’t done their job by putting out the latest Men’s Health posters.
The kinds of images perpetuated by these health magazines are often unattainable due to many factors, not least the benefit of a lighting crew and digital wizardry. I am often left wondering how it’s possible for the stomach muscles to protrude in such a way that could only be achieved with the abolition of the Earth’s carbohydrates.
To compound the ensuing insecurity, these unattainable images are usually linked with virility, sexual prowess and masculinity. So how can we as men feel good enough with what we have when this constant stream of photoshopped muscles is telling us and our partners otherwise?
The problem isn’t that these images exist, it’s that they are now considered the norm. Muscle-y dudes aren’t a problem, but photoshopping them to oblivion and dressing them up as a result of “eating right” and “hitting the gym” is reckless. A way around this would be implementing a warning system for photos that have been altered to the point of lunacy. If a label alerted consumers as to the extent of photoshopping in an advertisement, it would make companies think twice about brandishing body images that cannot be achieved.
Sadly, I think we have come to expect this ugly element with regards to the women’s fashion industry, but for men it is still a reasonably new phenomena that is less scrutinised. Being a media junkie, I constantly see pictures and advertisements that I know have had the once over with a fine tooth Mac comb, yet it is hard to delineate the concept of what these images display with what I have to offer. If this is happening to someone who consumes media daily with a cynical eye, I can only imagine what the everyday male is thinking. I can’t help but think we are doing a disservice to men, old and young, everywhere.
I’m putting it out there: the majority of guys do not look sculptured like Michelangelo’s David. With that being said, I’d love it if magazines and advertising companies would stop trying to make us believe that this is the case. Therefore, in the spirit of anti-photoshop, I have put my money where my mouth is and offered up a shirtless, natural image of un-photoshopped, unedited masculinity. Well, the merits of masculinity can be debated, but the rest is true. My photo might not be a GQ cover shoot, but for me it’s maintainable and more importantly realistic. Who needs photoshop, right?
I’ll be honest. I’m not overweight or particularly underweight but I did err on the side of caution before submitting my shirtless photo. Initially, I had no second thoughts,… then came the insecurity; “you can’t see any muscles”, “are there any muscles to show?”, “am I too skinny?”, “LOTS of people read this site”, “Magic Mike is out this month, I don’t have a chance.”
But the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I didn’t care that this wasn’t a heavily edited model shoot. That photo is me. In summer it’s on display at any one of South Australia’s great beaches, in winter it comes out at my local indoor swimming pool. What’s the worst that can happen on the internet? If I want to see a greater emphasis on advertisements doing away with retouched images, I’m going to embrace my untouched body (um, that sounded better in my head.)
So here’s a thought for both sexes; let’s embrace imperfection, irregularity and difference whilst rejecting digitally enhanced, unattainable perfection.
Now I’ve just got to hope that the kind folks at Mamamia don’t pair this piece with pictures of Chris Hemsworth frolicking on the beach.
It’s not just bodies that get airbrushed, check out this video of the airbrushing of a McDonald’s burger:
I think there is plenty or realism in real life to not have to worry about the rather small impact of advertising. The only folks who think advertising has such an iron grip are advertisers and critics of advertisers. I see thousands and thousands of real people on a daily basis, warts and all, and in the mirror. I am not confused by the idealized photo shopped version. This is one of the things that human culture does best, reflect our insecurities about life, death and taxes.
I’m happy to see that they showed a cover of “Men’s Health” in that as a “men’s” magazine, it’s a joke especially when it espouses “health.” That being said, It only makes sense that these models be fit. Over weight doesn’t sell clothes much less “sex.”
It’s marketing, no more no less. The fashion industry wants to sell product and MOST of their product is designed for people who have good bodies. At the end of the day, advertising messages is “this product will make you have.”
I have TIVO, I record everything I watch and fast forward through commercials.
I don’t think the goal needs to be strict anatomical realism in depicting the human form. Rather, I think it’s important to be aware of how consistent depictions of the human body can create a concept of normalcy that is not actually healthy or normal. The mere existence of stylized bodies is, I think, less of a problem than of the message that frequently accompanies that subtly shapes our conception of physical beauty.
I need to hear what exactly the goal is in demanding realistic portrayals of the human body in our culture. We would be the first culture in human history NOT to idealize or stylize the human body in unrealistic ways. (Except for some extremely iconoclastic cultures that allow no human images whatsoever. Those have never been known for their open-mindedness.) If that’s the goal, then someone should say so. If the goal is completely realistic visual imagery in our society, then we will need to shut down a lot of art museums. The Statue of Liberty will need some warts,… Read more »
good point, good to see you back on the boards wello
So open-mindedness or the health of a society is determined by the stylizing of unrealistic proportions of the human body? I would think the reverse is true. Especially because most cultures historically have used pain as a form of human body distortion to achieve beauty. We’d be in a lot better place in the world if we were bombarded by images of art and literature to the extent we are bombarded with advertising messages. Seeing Michelangelo’s David is not the same thing as seeing a Calvin Klein ad. We don’t emotionally relate to Michelangel’s David the same way we relate… Read more »