Am I the only person in the world who simply thinks that the Katie Couric thing was just a pretty good retouching job?
(Some people say that this isn’t retouched and then go into a spirited defense involving anamorphic film. Haha you guys are funny! I bet you believe that those girls on the magazine covers at the checkout stand really look like that.)
Sure, I think as much as the next guy that someone as vapid as Katie Couric being anchorwoman for CBS is a sign of the Apocalypse, but puh-leez…
Go to any mall in America and look at the movie posters and billboards. Can you point to one that is not retouched? My Season 8 or Stargate SG-1 DVD came with a flier where Amanda Tapping was clearly had her waist shrunk, her boobs pushed up, skin softened, eyes sharpened… and all I said was, “Wow! The person who retouched that did a great job!”
Heck, even the Heidi Klum sometimes gets a digital mod or two. (Click on the link, Brian Dilg is pretty impressive. Read his comments underneath the image.)
As for me, I love to retouch when I have an opportunity. While I’m no Brian Dilg, I find it a very educational practice.
Mountain View, California
Nikon D70, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G VR, SB-800
1/500 sec @ f/7.1, iso 320, 70mm (105mm)
(link to Flickr page)
Mouse over the image the above image to see my experiment in skin softening, brightening (of the logo), vignetting, slim and trim, and the wonderful liquefy tool.
Caitlin says that my retouching makes her original look fat. Realize she’s about 5′ 6″ and 125lbs at the time of the shot! Now go look at Katie Couric or Heidi Klum retouches and you’ll see the same thing, only better—I haven’t figured out how they do good boob jobs without messing with the texture of the clothing when you look at them close.
Remember kids, this is advertising, not news. I don’t care if the subject is a newscaster or a supermodel, it’s still ad copy.
HuffPo has some commentary on the “scandal”:
“Yes, in magazines and in publicity shots, this kind of retouching is not limited to women, but let’s be honest with ourselves here — would anyone at CBS have felt the need to photoshop 15 pounds off Bob Schieffer? Would Fox News have done it to Bill O’Reilly? Would NBC slim down Brian Williams? And if not, why not? Why is it that women in this industry can’t just be good journalists? Why is it that, in 2006, the idea that female journalists can’t be serious, that they have to be a pretty, trim face, is still ingrained in the culture of newsrooms and PR shops across the country?”
I’m not sure I agree, the retouching wouldn’t have been in the same areas, and certainly not as overt but I definitely would remove the bags under the eyes and neck, fixed unruly hair, etc. I think the general question here is why we feel we have to retouch women more than men, especially in body shape. This is not limited to news media personalities, you know.