The effects of Photoshop are able to completely change a person’s image.
People are so used to see images of flawless human beings that they aspire to be as perfect as them.
However, these flawless humans don’t represent the population in general because in real life, not even models look like they do on advertisements.
In the past, especially in movies, lighting was key to improve actresses faces, then, makeup was added.
But the change of century and modernity brought us what is known as Photoshop.
The famous, graphic design software developed by Adobe Systems can do wonders, but it is mostly used to retouch images and graphics.
This software has been recognized for being responsible for the unreal images we see in our everyday lives.
According to the BBC website, creators of Photoshop say that nine out of 10 images that surround us have been retouched in Photoshop: People, food, objects. Absolutely everything.
It’s so usual to see all these perfect faces and bodies that the brain perceives them as something normal when in reality it's not.
The American Medical Association stood against the use of Photoshop in images because the alterations contribute to unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image, especially among children and adolescents.
The pursuit of being beautiful or having the perfect body seems to overwhelm every other aspect of an individual’s life. Especially women.
According to Statistic Brain, 91 per cent of women are unhappy with their bodies and decide to diet.
Women worry about being “too fat,” having cellulite, stretch marks or pimples, without really worrying about themselves.
Human beings are not perfect, and still, beauty standards are based on perfection.
Women on advertisements don’t even have facial expressions anymore. No wrinkles, scars, or pores.
About 80 per cent of women say the images of other women in the media makes them feel insecure, according to Statistic Brain.
However, celebrities such as Kate Winslet, Lady Gaga, and Zendaya have called out on magazines for altering their images.
When actress Zendaya realized that her cover picture for Modeliste magazine had been retouched, she decided to upload a comparison of the real picture and one retouched to her Instagram account.
Zendaya wrote that those- Photoshop effects – were the things that make women self-conscious and that create unrealistic ideals of beauty.
Even though there are many people who use Photoshop or applications such as Enlight or PicZone to slim down their waist or retouch their face to look good on social media, people who know them in real life are aware it's fake.
In real life, nobody looks perfect.
In fact, perfection is unreachable. Nobody looks as they do on magazines, TV, or social media. Not even celebrities or models.
Photoshop creates perfection, but it doesn’t work in real life.
Featured image by João Silas, Unsplash.