I read today that Grazia magazine admitted to digitally slimming the Duchess of Cambridge for the cover of their Royal Wedding edition. The article written in the Guardian touches on a number of celebrities who have fallen prey to the digital retouching as if it isn’t common practice.
A very good friend of mine is a photographic retoucher for a number of top photographers and works on covers of Vogue, GQ, Cosmopolitan etc… His job is to hide the unwanted spots, cellulite, bumps and lumps. It is common practice and it happens everyday to all celebrities who find themselves on the cover of magazine or in photo shoots.
Grazia have said that their intention was not to imply that the Duchess needed slimming, however, their practice has once again raised questions on how the female body is portrayed in the media and its impact on society.
Last year I created a photo album for a friend. Whilst she loved the present, I had included a picture that I hadn’t been retouched in photoshop to make her look better. She picked up on this immediately and suggested that I should have.
It seems we live in a day when everyone has access to digitally retouching photographs and vanity affects us all.
Bunty
The Chatterjis Blog 