A few weeks ago, we were cheering Britney on as she released a set of unphotoshopped pics for her latest Candies ad. She said she made the move to highlight the pressure exerted on women to look perfect.
By viewing the unretouched pics alongside the digitally enhanced version, it’s easy to see how unrealistic photoshopped images can be. I think Brit was effective at making her point, but as with almost every issue we address here at the Cellulite Investigation, there’s a deeper aspect to the story.
The All-Natural Celebrity Trend
Britney isn’t the only one to show the whole truth of late. It seems there is a movement underway for celebrities to appear in print without makeup and/or editing.
Jessica Simpson posed on the cover of Marie Claire magazine without any makeup or digital alterations. Heidi Klum and Amanda Seyfried posed without makeup for People magazine’s list of Most Beautiful People 2010. Kim Kardashian posed unretouched (and naked) for a story on body image in the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Even Claudia Schiffer posed for un-enhanced (topless) photos in the September 2009 issue of a British magazine called Tank.
Empowerment or Opportunism?
For the most part, I’m happy about the all-natural celebrity trend. What woman wouldn’t love to see a return to reality as the new beauty ideal! But a thoughtful article in the Sydney Morning Herald, entitled “Pardon Me, Gorgeous, Your Cellulite is Showing,” made me think twice about the movement.
Below is a snippet of the article (I bolded the parts that struck me). After reading the following excerpts, let me know if you still think unretouched celebrity photographs are as empowering as they once seemed.
The fact it has become trendy to present the “real you” should be a warning that the current wave of reality is not about courage or altruism.
For a good-looking celeb, the real-woman shot is a chance to say “Hey everyone, check out how naturally gorgeous I am” while using the justification “I am empowering women to accept their bodies.”
But while they may forgo mascara and retouching, these shots belie the fact that someone behind the scene worked overtime to get the lighting just right and away from the camera celebs devote endless time and money to their appearance. When the actress Regina Hall posed nude for Allure this month she had been doing Ashtanga yoga five days a week since January.
For celebrities eager to reveal flaws or imperfections, you have to wonder if this is just another manifestation of the adage that any publicity is a good thing. Particularly in a culture where there’s no such thing as too much information. If we already know every mundane detail about celebrities’ lives and loves, we may as well see their cellulite and freckles.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
They do say there's no such thing as bad press. And I agree that even without computer effects and even makeup, celebrities spend far more time and money on their looks than any normal person could. I don't think there's anything wrong with a celebrity who wants to be shown without enhancement (in fact, it's probably a good thing), but saying that it's "real" is only partially accurate.
I think it's a good thing, too. Releasing untouched photos won't necessarily help women accept their bodies more because these celebrities are still ridiculously gorgeous, but it's nice to be able to see past all the photoshopping. The enhanced pics of Britney made her look like a cartoon!
Wow…that's super interesting. I never really thought about retouching, makeup, etc. at all, but now it looks like I'm beginning to formulate an opinion!
Isn't is interesting to catch a glimpse of what's going on behind the scenes? Thanks for your comment, Libby!