Most of us know by now that the actors and models you see online and in magazines have all been photoshopped. Their skin looks immaculate and their bodies are supposedly the perfect shape to appeal to their admirers. Sadly, people have now started to Photoshop themselves before uploading their pictures on social media. By doing so, they are actively perpetuating this serious issues and adding further to the problems caused by the low self-esteem inherent in many women and men of all ages.
The Most Common Photoshop Tricks
Let’s start off by looking at the main Photoshop tricks:
- Skin: The face of a celebrity or model has virtually no imperfections, tone differences, wrinkles, or pores. This isn’t real, no one has doll-like, porcelain skin. Models in bikinis have immaculate legs also showing absolutely no imperfections.
- Body Shape: Tummies are flattened or “six-packed”, thigh gaps enhanced, breasts enlarged or reduced in size, waists shape perfectly, and legs bronzed, combining into the perfect Barbie and Ken look.
- Face: Makeup contouring, fake eyelashes, and aggressive lip exfoliation are all part of the beautifying, or perhaps falsifying process.
- Teeth: Not surprisingly, celeb teeth are photoshopped into looking shiny and white.
- Body part Swap: Entire body parts are swapped out in an effort to make the model look more attractive.
- Photoshop Shave: You will never see even the slightest stubble on celeb pics because they are shaved away by Photoshop.
You can be sure that the people you see in these images only exist by virtue of Photoshop. They are not real, and you shouldn’t aspire to look like that.
The Problem with Photoshopping
You may think to yourself that it’s perfectly ok to Photoshop yourself too before uploading your latest picture. Unfortunately, by doing so, you are giving in to those who dictate how we should look. Not only are they making us aspire to something entirely unachievable and unreal, they are also making us feel bad about the way we look. Especially teenagers might struggle to maintain a healthy body image and a good level of self-esteem because of all the photoshopping.
The Importance of High Self-Esteem and Good Body Image
It’s quite simple. If you feel bad about the way you look, you’ll be a lot unhappier in life. You may struggle to socialize and will have a lot less self-confidence. Without self-confidence, it will be much more difficult for you to get that dream job, have a good night out, make friends, and do all the other human interaction stuff.
In contrast, if you feel good about the way you look, you can go anywhere and talk to anyone confidently. You’ll have a good time, make friends easily, you’ll be able to stand up for yourself when necessary, and you will generally be far happier and more content.
Let’s All Demand Real People
Rather than feeding into this Photoshop frenzy, we should all take a moment and demand to see real people with real imperfections. Everyone has got them. The world would be an entirely different place if we weren’t flooded with images of fakely beautiful people all the time. We could breathe a sigh of relief, embrace our own little blemishes, and live happily ever after. Don’t you think?
You also have to remember that you’ll only be able to Photoshop yourself in photos and not in the real world. There, people will see your pores, hairy armpits, and bulging tummy, so you are as well off, trying to accept and embrace it and proudly “wear your flaws”. If everyone celebrated the “non-doll look”, we would all be free!