Recognize Them?
Reality Check #1
Here’s the deal with all of these seemingly “perfect” images, most are enhanced with props, lighting angles, and computer techniques, even things like “body doubles” are used when an actress doesn’t measure up to society’s standards. Here we see that these images are photoshopped and airbrushed as well. This in turn, gives the illusion that all models are perfect and beautiful naturally; the fact is nobody is this perfect, not even the models (Body Image). “The media’s messages are that if you try hard enough, spend enough, suffer enough, you can have the look you want… that shaping your body will somehow bring you success and happiness” (Body Image). Our society needs to realize women come in all shapes and sizes and stereotyping women who don’t meet these requirements is only narrowing the definition of ideal.
Reality Check #2
Back before these waif-like models (or seemingly) women were praised for their voluptuous bodies (i.e. large breasts and wide hips), they were seen as good for child-bearing and ideal for a mate. If you look towards the animal kingdom it is beyond noticeable that most females are larger than males for that purpose. So, why did society take such an abrupt turn and decide thinness was the "new" in? In The Media and Body Image: if looks could kill by Maggie Wykes and Barrie Gunter it states, "Skinny fashion models, such as Twiggy, replaced shapely film stars as the dominant cultural icons. A preference for a body shape that mimicked this cultural ideal was increasingly reflected in the body image preferred by women, surveyed for their opinions about attractiveness. Since the only slight shift from extreme slenderness as the female ideal was the muscularization of the still very slender body during the 1980s. Coincidentally, and from some perspectives, causally, the mass media has increased in volume, spread and representative role."
Scroll down to see before and afters of our favorite icons being photoshopped to perfection.