Girls in the Magazines

A young Hungarian singer, Boggie, recently released a music video for her song, "Nouveau Parfum" which is quickly becoming mainstream. The video has received a great deal of attention from American viewers, because the singer touched on a very controversial topic: the use of photoshop in the media. In the video, Boggie's moving image is shown being retouched and transformed throughout a series of brushing, erasing, brightening and coloring techniques. Although she is a very attractive woman naturally, as shown in the beginning of the video, Boggie is molded into a very glamorized and seemingly flawless version of herself. 

These kinds of videos have starting surfacing over the past few years, showing the viewers that natural celebrities and models often look completely different than their photoshopped counterparts. The pictures that are presented to culture through the media, exhibit a "perfection" that we know does not exist. The media is saturated with gorgeous models (male and female) that have alluring eyes, flawless skin, and flowing hair. As viewers, many do not grasp the power that photoshop and professional photography have. I believe it will be helpful for consumers to fully understand how photoshop is utilized, and I think this music video by Boggie helps shed light on the uses of photoshopping. 

I am studying Graphic Design, and I am well educated in many different photoshop softwares. I also know a good deal about photography, so I know the tricks of the trade. In projects, editors obviously try to make an image look better after editing than the original image. These softwares are truly incredible inventions; you can literally CHANGE your appearance however you like through a series of tools that smooth, erase, brighten, and blur. Through editing, you can make small scale changes, like erasing blemishes, smoothing complexions, brightening eyes and skin. Large scale photoshop operations are almost frightening--skin tone alterations, thinning of body parts, and hair changes are more drastic changes that are used often. Seeing the before and after photographs, the model can sometimes look like a completely different person at the end of the session. 

I know exactly how photoshop is used because I can do it myself. Since I know how to do this, seeing advertisements that feature beautiful models, does not really affect me the way it could affect an uneducated viewer. 

Overall, I do not think that Photoshop is necessarily an evil software. It is also used for artistic purposes, and is extremely helpful in creating beautiful images. I do think that fashion magazines and beauty advertisements take these techniques too far at times, like in changing a model's body shape to make her thinner, bustier, and overall--"sexier". I think these companies should keep the models looking as natural as possible, because there is nothing wrong with their bodies and appearance in real life, and impacts how consumers view themselves. Boggie is taking a very brave stand, showing her natural appearance being photoshopped into an almost unrecognizable version of herself. This video shows to the public just how powerful these softwares can be, and mainly that girls in the magazines, probably don't even look like the girls in the magazines.