Every day, new photographs of celebrities emerge. We see images of celebs nearly everywhere: on billboards, on magazines, and on social media. There is no way to avoid them. Unfortunately in our society, we live for these photographs. We aspire to look like our favorite actors, singers, and models by following their hair, fashion, and fitness trends. Sadly, it is impossible to look like these celebs.
The beautiful supermodel Cindy Crawford once said, "I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford." I absolutely love this quote, because it speaks miles about what kind of society we live in. Today, looks are created through cosmetics and computer retouching. There are unspoken standards for men and women to follow: women must aspire to be thin, but curvy. Men must aspire to be buff. Bodies need to be hairless. And if you do not successfully achieve these standards, enforced by the images we see of celebrities, then you are judged. Harshly.
There must be no signs of imperfections or flaws. If you have visible cellulite, stretch marks, body hairs, or extra meat on your body, you are viewed as lesser, and your "flaws" categorize you as ugly. What makes these characteristics ugly? That's what I really want to know.
Photoshopped images of celebrities are not labeled as photoshopped. They appear natural and normal. When you see an image of Kim Kardashian's waist impossibly small, her legs smooth, her hairline perfect, and her arms thin, you think that the image shows what Kim naturally looks like. You wonder what you have to do to look like that, too. Guess what? You'll never look like that, and neither will Kim. That image is an unattainable image.
What's the point of sharing unattainable images with the world? What's the point of having us "normal" folk obsess over looking like Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lawrence, the Kardashians, Katy Perry, etc., when it's impossible to look like images we see of them?
A better question to ask is, why is Photoshop relevant? Why do photo shoots insist on photoshopping celebs? The answer is simple: to make it impossible to be categorized as beautiful. Think about it. The number zero is a very depressing number. Zero dollars means you can't afford something. Earning a zero on a test means you failed the exam. Scoring zero points in a basketball game means you lost. Yet, being a size zero in clothing is an accomplishment.
The vast majority of women will never be able to wear size zero clothing. Women who wear larger sized clothes have it in their minds that they are failures. Unlike money and test scores, smaller numbers for weight (and for clothes size) mark you as winners and successes. The opposite is true for those who weigh more/wear larger sized clothing. Appearances are the same. The more space you take up because of your body size, the less of a winner you are.
Photoshopping celebs and praising impossibly thin images of these stars is a terrible marketing technique. How dare mediums like magazines, billboards, and social media enforce impossible standards onto people in our society. Stop photoshopping women and men to make them appear more "perfect." Quit preaching that stretch marks, cellulite, scars, and larger body sizes need to be altered to be beautiful. Products need to be sold, not body norms. It's time we learn to love all bodies, no matter the shape and size. It's time to show young girls and boys that it's okay to look the way they do. We don't have to strive for unattainable beauty norms. Instead, we need to strive to respect our bodies, and all other bodies in the world. We must learn to love our bodies for what they are. We must learn to stop Photoshopping "flaws" away, because no part of your body is flawed.
It's time to protest photoshopping and appreciate bodies for what they are. Let's all do our best to love the skin we are in.
