Airbrush

No, I'm not talking about your PCB Spring Break '99 T-shirt.  I'm talking about models and magazine photos being manipulated and distorted.  I just came across this article about British government officials trying to curb the practice of airbrushing to promote the confidence of young girls.  YES!  To quote the article, magazine photos these days "are all manipulated to hell."  Ralph Lauren got some bad press over this photo where the model's waist is smaller than her head.  Bobble-head-ish, huh?

The article quotes some fashion industry experts but also some experts in the field of eating disorders.  No one is arguing that viewing distorted pictures directly causes an eating disorder, but research does show repeated exposure to these images is linked to body dissatisfaction and extreme dieting.  Couple that with negative messages from boys or parents, and a girl's self-confidence is shot.

I am not much into magazines so my exposure is limited to Internet ads or billboards.  My friends that love Glamour and Cosmo would say that they read it to stay up on fashion, makeup tips, or celebrity news.  But you can't tell me that when you put that magazine down you are feeling better about yourself than before you picked it up.  At the very least, you are now disappointed with your wardrobe and want to hit the mall.   Here's what I know from personal experience:  Every time I look through a clothing catalog, all the models are sporting the smallest size!  So I think, "Wow I love that dress! But what is it going to look like in my size?!"  And then I visualize the dress on someone my size, tell myself it was too expensive anyway, throw the catalog in the trash, and head for the ice cream.  I digress...another day, another post.

But why do we subject ourselves to false images of beauty or anything that puts negative thoughts in our heads?  I don't know about you, but I need all the positive-thought-mo-jo I can get. 

I love what the Dove campaign has been doing to promote "real beauty."  This video shows how any woman can be airbrushed and photoshopped to look like a model, and what you see on the billboard is not as it seems.



And isn't the Bible the only thing that really IS as it seems? And speaking of real beauty, we are all God's perfect creation, that He wonderfully made.  "The King is enthralled with your beauty," (Psalm 45:11).  The Bible says the Lord does not look at outward appearance as man does, but rather, at our hearts.  Won't find that message in a magazine!