Pop-Culture | Posted by Talia on 12/28/2011

Down With Photoshopping

the (evil) power of photoshopping

Retouching photographs of models in magazines and newspapers has been a point of controversy in the publishing industry ever since technology like Photoshop has become readily available. Most magazines, especially ones dedicated to fashion and/or celebrity stalking, have no qualms about retouching “imperfect” pictures. I think this practice is absolutely reprehensible.

There are instances when it’s appropriate to retouch photograph. For example, if a person in a photograph has red eye or some stray hairs, or the lighting isn’t good, or if there’s some other imperfection that doesn’t change the concept of the picture to a ridiculous degree, I don’t see a problem with that. I do take issue with pictures retouched to the point that the original subject is unrecognizable or completely changed, especially in…

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Pop-Culture | Posted by Fiona L on 11/2/2011

There’s Nothing Real About These “Real Beauty” Campaigns

"real" beauty?

Although at first it appears that companies like Dove and Bare Minerals have taken a step in the right direction by running “Real Beauty” campaigns, there’s often nothing real about them.

When I see an ad that claims to feature real women, yet the woman are still remarkably flawless, it doesn’t do a whole lot for me. At least when I see a model in an advertisement I can tell myself that the way she looks is fake, enhanced by photo shop, and probably required harmful eating practices. When I see an ad that claims to be “real” or represent “average women,” yet not a single woman weighs over 140 pounds (the average weight of an American woman) I can’t help but feel as if I’m imperfect, and the rest of the…

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Pop-Culture | Posted by Becka W on 07/5/2011

The Enigma of the Bra

a dress not exactly made for a bra

Fashion is pain, and pain is beauty. Right?

I complimented a friend on a new sundress recently, and she thanked me and then showed me her clever solution to the dress’ lacy strap area – she put a scarf on to hide her bra peeking through. As cute as the ensemble was, there was that voice at the back of my head saying – why? Why does my friend have to have a whole other accessory in order to accomplish wearing a dress?

We all have outfits like this. I have 3 or 4 gorgeous dresses where a tank top is required underneath to ensure classy cleavage. 3 pairs of adorable heels where I need to make sure I’m wearing a band-aid on my heel.…

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Pop-Culture | Posted by Amanda K on 02/15/2011

Notes on Beauty

airbrushing at its best (worst)

When I was nine years old, I secretly dreamed of becoming a model.

I still wanted to be a writer, of course, but hey, a girl can dream, right? My family doctor had told my parents that because of their heights (my mom is 5’6” and my dad is 6’1”), my twin brother and I were likely to grow like bean sprouts to over 6 feet. I liked being tall for my age. Being my nine-year-old-self, I thought my potential height would be the key to becoming a model. (Also being young and naïve, I succumbed to society’s spoon-fed diet of telling girls that beauty is limited to certain numerical requirements. Thanks, society.)

I also liked the way models looked so serious as they strutted down the runway.…

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Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Jessica S on 08/22/2009

Glamour Magazine’s September Issue Gets it Right

I do not read Glamour magazine. My sister’s friend, however, does. So when flipping through the September issue with them, I was happy to see this:

A non-airbrushed photo of model Lizzie Miller.

Miller is a 20 year old model, and technically at a size 12-14, she is not plus sized. But in the world of modeling, she is definitely not the norm.

Glamour recieved an outcry of support for the normal sized model, and emails thanked the magazine for putting a woman with everyday, normal curves and rolls in the magazine.

And Lizzi is grateful, too. She says:

“When I read them I got teary-eyed!” she says. “I’ve been that girl, flipping through magazines trying to find just one person who looked a little bit like me. And when I didn’t find it I would…

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