jord

Being a photographer as well (weddings a speciality), I couldn't resist coming across this little step-by-step tidbit on just how far a magazine will go in order to make someone impossibly perfect. Here's an animated before and after of shattering Faith and here's the annotated guide to rebuilding Faith.

I know... stuff like this is nothing new. But I have always found it totally misleading, in that it gives our kids a set of goals and values that they'll never reach.

Let's face it: Faith Hill is already a very beautiful person as it is, which is why I find it hard to comprehend how far they went on their quest for this impossible reality. Tummy tuck and crow's feet are acceptable edits. However, they totally lopped off her butt and made her arms so gangly. There's no meat on her... if this were reality, I would never want to see her in a bathing suit like that. At least, not before feeding her a few solid meals. Not to mention that anything that looks like a freckle, spot or pock-mark is gone. I've only seen one type of girl with that kind of skin... mannequins!

And yes, I've known about this for ages. I have books from Suzette Troche-Stapp, also known as The Glitter Guru. She talks about the various steps taken to create your impossible perfection. She is the master at this art and I have practiced many of the techniques she outlines in her books for the brides that I shoot. At the same time, I took great measure in showing my girls throughout the years that this isn't reality. It helped keep their feet on the ground and the meat on their bones. I also showed my boys that they'll never find girls that look like this, except in department store windows. I almost think that every parent should do the same thing, before their girls become dangerously anorexic and their boys become hopelessly shallow.