In a world intent on selling you an idealized version of reality lurks a lot of trade secrets that hardly make it to the light of day. With merchants intent on selling you the latest fad, dress, beauty treatment, holiday and experience you too should be living (if the stars can why not you?) is it any wonder that what we are consuming or experiencing has become a lopsided affair? Of course the pressures of a public looking for that perfect experience or look has only exacerbated the unreality that comes courtesy of the media. In essence reality has become its own fabricated script and what you see is hardly is what you get…
In this week’s NY Mag, comes an article via the Daily Mail UK which extols what really goes on in the behind the scenes of a fashion make over. You may think what you are looking is the real thing, but further examination – courtesy of the English department store Debenhams makes room for some revealing truths. That said, women and men the world over are strung out about attaining that perfect look, because if the media validates it then somehow we must be validated by it in return- which sets off a delicious vicious circle that all of us can never get off.
NY Mag:
As you can see, quite a bit of work was done to make the image look “better.” This girl has no armpit, no eye bags, no skin folds, and no thighs. Yet judging by this example, Debenhams doesn’t seem like as egregious a retoucher as many other advertisers and media outlets. This model, not being as frail as so many are, didn’t need any protruding bones filled in and smoothed over. Debenham’s creative director Mark Woods said:
