Instagram Calls Out Retouching Fails
This photo’s caption reads: “Get that dirt off your (uneven) shoulder.” Photo: @wephotoshoppedwhat/Instagram
A new Instagram account is culling photos posted by fashion bloggers (and even Beyoncé!) that use retouching tools to slim their bodies, calling out the guilty for their obvious overuse of such apps (and their mistakes).
The carefully curated images that appear on style sites and social media accounts—much like those in magazines and advertisements—aren’t 100% real. They’ve often been purposefully lit and digitally enhanced. And just in case you thought they were accurate, @wephotoshoppedwhat is using comically large finger-drawn arrows to shed light on the falsified imagery disseminated by influential people with impressionable followers. “My trademark pink arrows are never meant to point out someone’s “flaws,” rather to draw attention to the obvious,” the person behind the account said.
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Interestingly, the rise of bloggers came about mostly to fill the hole missing in the market, the lack of real people of all sizes showing off their unique personal and street style that glossies have historically ignored. But as the role of blogger shifted from hobby to lucrative business model, these sites have transformed from a raw look into someone’s everyday life to something almost as manufactured as the publications they aimed to usurp.
Photo: @wephotoshoppedwhat/Instagram
Readers’ frustrations with retouching have reached a fever pitch as of late. The recent cover of Women’s Health featured an almost unrecognizable Britney Spears on the cover. Lena Dunham’s Vogue shoot even prompted Jezebel to offer $10,000 of the original shots. Part of the reason for this discontentment stems from the fact that, according to a 2013 analysis from the University of Florida, when people view photos of ideal bodies it can result in decreased body image and even increase one’s risk of depression—not to mention the effects it obviously has on self esteem.
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@wephotoshoppedwhat joins a large contingent of those speaking out against the overuse of retouching and how it contributes to the unrealistic beauty and body image norms perpetuated in society. Keira Knightley posed topless for a feature in Interview magazine, but only did so under the condition that her body wasn’t modified. “I’ve had my body manipulated so many different times for so many different reasons, whether it’s paparazzi photographers or for film posters.,” she told the Times. “That [shoot] was one of the ones where I said: ‘OK, I’m fine doing the topless shot so long as you don’t make them any bigger or retouch.’ Because it does feel important to say it really doesn’t matter what shape you are.” A bill was even introduced on the Hill in March by three representatives with bipartisan support in collaboration with organizations such as the Eating Disorders Coalition and the Brave Girls Alliance called the “Truth in Advertising Act.”
Photo: @wephotoshoppedwhat/Instagram
But while the Instagram account is only the latest addition to a larger conversation, it’s doing so in a manner perceived by many to be bullying. Danielle Bernstein, the 22-year-old behind the popular blog weworewhat, who has been the frequent target of @wephotoshoppedwhat’s Snapchat-like squiggles, called the account mean and malicious. “Most people I know including other bloggers and anyone that puts content out to the public every day has editing involved in photos. I can own it being a bit to [sic] much at times (I’m not an editing expert) but it’s not like I’m hiding,” she wrote in a comment on one of the photos in which she’s featured. She explained that her fans know exactly what she looks like because she attends events and posts videos, but she only posts the best photos of herself taken from the most flattering angles. “This honestly feels like bullying,” she added.
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In response, @wephotoshoppedwhat wrote: “It might not be nice but it is appropriate to call someone out who is making money off this deception, especially when young girls make comments about how they want to look like that.”
No matter what side of the argument one falls on, it’s important that the conversation about doctored imagery and its impact on body image and general wellness—and cyberbullying—continues.
