To dream the impossible dream

After all the "serious" political drama in the blog lately I thought it might be time for some lighter fare, so here's a fluffy but interesting little story that has nothing to do with speed dating or Elton John.

If you're a young woman in today's society, you are likely being pressured to adopt an image that is virtually unattainable in real life. It's not exactly headline news that nearly all photos appearing on magazine covers, fashion articles, advertisements and so forth are touched up, but the average person may not realize just how far beyond reality this process goes. Take a look at the photos of the model below. Like the Hocus-Focus cartoon panels in the newspaper, can you spot at least 12 differences between the two images? (Click on the picture to see a larger version.)


The photo on the left is the original picture. The one on the right is the shot as it appeared in a leading teen fashion magazine, and has been retouched to (among other things) brighten the eyes, whiten and straighten the teeth, remove facial blemishes and creases, pinch the waistline, alter the cheekbones and chin, thicken the hair and make it more blonde, and make the model's breasts appear larger. You can view a fascinating interactive demo of exactly how this was accomplished here.

The point of the Girlpower site is that young people shouldn't compare themselves to an ideal of "perfect beauty" as it's presented in the media, because most times those images are based on a lie. Accept yourself as the unique individual that you are.

Speaking of retouched photos, here's a shot of me and a friend from the Great White North hangin' in my backyard. OK, the colors are too different to make it really convincing, but you get the idea.