There are lots of sites that display photoshop screwups: an arm that suddenly disappears, a hand with too many fingers, a waist digitally whittled (digiwhittle?) into nothingness. Photoshop can even, as Jezebel documents, re-image history by removing people from pictures.
I don’t know about you but I like to think that there are some celebrities who resist the allure of photoshop “perfection,” even if it means looking like, you know, an actual person instead of a Barbie doll. And then I saw this picture:
Who is this, you say? Is it maybe…Kristin Stewart? Or…some charming morning talk-show hostess? Nope. It’s Tina Fey. Or rather, it’s “Tina Fey,” the digitally created version of the acerbic and brilliant actress/writer whose career is predicated on presenting herself in all her flawed and human glory.
Don’t get me wrong. I love what she’s saying but it would be nice if she could say it without being airbrushed into Barbie-land. Because the words in this picture say one thing but the picture itself says something entirely different.
Oh are you ever right.
I can’t imagine she would sign off on that. I remember seeing a show, some magazine editors: BIG mags and the head photography editing dude said, “NOTHING is not air brushed. NOTHING.” Then he went on to show how upper arms are reduced and eyebrows are darkened and it was just something I wish all women could see.
We are comparing ourselves to animation.
None of what we see is real, and we still try for it.
You’re such a thinking woman’s blog. I love that.
A compliment from you, oh thinking and laughing blogger extraordinaire? I blush. I blush and then I wonder, yes, if Tina Fey knows what the hell they did to her face (and body). It’s a beautiful-ish woman in that picture but she has no basis in reality. Airbrushing is insidious, because of course if it’s done well, then you don’t know it’s been done at all, so the picture looks “real” and yet, as you said, it’s an animated figure that’s not real. Sigh. Sometimes I’m glad I don’t have daughters, so they don’t have to negotiate the pitfalls of femininity in this way. On the other hand, I’m going to have to teach my boys that these women (should they decide to bat for that team!) .. are NOT real!
Great observation! Yes, the picture and her observation really has no match!
Thanks for the note – yes, there’s a real disconnect between message & image. I wonder if Tina Fey knows they’ve done this with her image?
I love it when my friends all get along and play in the sandbox together so nicely. You MUST let me introduce you guys to each other at BlogHer this summer!
You don’t think that is just make up and stuff?
oh yes, absolutely. it’s just blush and concealer, cleverly applied! I’m sure *I* could do this to myself at home… : )