How many times have we found ourselves looking in the mirror and unhappy with the reflection? We may be at a healthy weight, but for some reason we see an obese person in the mirror staring right back at us. It is an distorted image that people who suffer from anorexia and bulimia see because they are trying to achieve an unrealistic image of the ideal woman. "She is made to feel dissatisfied with and ashamed of herself, whether she tries to achieve 'the look' or not" (Kilbourne, 122).
As Kilbourne said in Beauty and the Beast of Advertising, "The image is artificial and can only be achieved artificially...." and that artificial device being photo shop. Like the photo of Madonna before and after photo shop or this photograph to the right >>>>
The image on the left of Kim Kardashian is the closest to what she really looks like, tanned, with not so perky breasts, and with cellulite in her thighs. The photo shopped image on the right makes Kim lighter, thinner waist, and smoother, cellulite-free legs. This dispels the idea of the "perfect provocateur" because these beautiful women we see in advertisements (naturally) do not meet the standards of "physical perfection." Between Madonna and Kim they do have pores, wrinkles, blemishes, and possibly scars. As an alternative, instead of using photo shop to alter the true image in order to make the subject/ model look "perfect," leave the picture as it is. Everyone has physical "flaws" and as media consumers, we wouldn't have to feel inferior to these deceiving images because in reality, human perfection does not exist. Also, if magazines don't want to reveal Madonna's sagging skin or Kim's cellulite legs, dress them appropriately!
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