SubscribeDigital Retouching: Because Men Need Muscles
Over a year ago I looked at the widespread practice of retouching photos. We used to call it airbrushing - but now the term photoshop has entered the vernacular.
For the most part, women have been the subject of retouching - but men are not immune either. Men's Fitness magazine have been scorned for their "enhancement" of tennis player Andy Roddick.
It seems Andy got some instant "22 inch guns" and a bulging chest.
Roddick at the Rome Masters (May 2007)
Roddick maintains a blog (subscription only) where he apparently mocked the magazine cover.
Mr. Roddick wrote that he was “pretty sure I’m not as fit as the Men’s Fitness cover suggests” and “little did I know I have 22-inch guns,” referring to his biceps.
You know what's sad about this? The fact that it's become so 'ho-hum'. We know that magazine covers and photos get retouched - we know but we forget - and no one seems to care anymore.
What went on at Men's Fitness headquarters? Who knows - but maybe it went something like this:
Editor: "Roddick looks too lean. This won't sell - men want big muscles - plus - our core advertisers have supplements to sell."
Designer: "But... our magazine is called Men's Fitness - isn't Roddick really really fit?"
Editor: "That doesn't matter - biceps, pecs, and abs is what sells. Give him some big guns".
Designer: "Hmm - I think I'll just paste Roddick's head onto one of our models".
About Men's Fitness: Circulation: 700,000. Total Audience 6,054,000 (source).
I think it's more of the "you can look like this if you just buy our magazine/supplements/gym equipment" marketing.
Brian
ReplySpeaking of goals! "Lose your gut: See results in 5 days". "How to build a beach-ready body". "How to build big arms in 5 easy moves" (What's special about five?). "Bench press even more". "How to make her better in bed: Tonight". Yup, Brian's right - these folks are just trying to attract the gullible and dump marketing junk at them.
ReplyIt's marketing like this that gives so many people unrealistic expectations. Between this and the ultra-skinny female models, it's no wonder so many people have eating disorders or take steroids (for the men), etc.
ReplyTotally awesome that celebrities like Roddick and Kate Winslet (see link above titled "apparantly") have called out the magazines for their tomfoolery. It goes to show that they are comfortable with their bodies and their images, and don't take a liking to those who would want to make some false change toward a standard.
That's the way to be. Even while other celebrities are riddled with insecurity or greed, these few would not go in for the retouching, surgeries, etc. as they are truthfully human beings, who put being themselves first. Integrity is in short shrift these days, but these few have earned my praise.
ReplyJeez, how sleazy.
Somehow it seems even worse for a fitness magazine, which is sort of implying that you can find out inside their pages how to look like the (fake) picture on the cover.
Good for the celebrities who call them on this dishonesty--it probably comes at a price (at least a temporary one).
ReplyWow! You and I are on the same page! I just wrote an article about retouching today... find it at:
ReplySorry, but I just can't stop laughing at this!
ReplyI saw that and I think Andy Roddick looks better in his natural state, before all the copy-paste they did there...
His head looks way too small for that body they pasted on. It just looks silly.
ReplyWow.
ReplyThe best thing I ever did to make me not feel as bad compared to all the airbrushed photos out there--- got professional photos. They were taken with me modelling the way that was instructed and airbrushed a little bit--- and even *I* looked like a model --- and this is with me doing my own makeup and hair.
I'm surprised you're surprised because it is not really new at all. plus, what's the difference with makeup for exemple or boobs implants or face lift etc etc? when you see some women with lots of makeup on their face and then see them at night without any, that is a big scary change!! it's like a new face there.
ReplyMakeup doesn't double up the size of anything in your body. Only airbrushing and crazy plastic surgery (like tons of collagen to give a person duck lips, like Melanie Griffith) can come close to comparing to what happened in this cover. If I put pink goo on my lips, they don't magically double up in size.
Replyum... Andy is hot.
but I do have to argue that skewed perceptions of how the human body MUST look like is what gives people unrealistic expectations/discourages the public in their search for toned bodies and a healthy diet.
oh and...
Replymakeup is the one thing the average female CAN do in order to attempt to live up to some ridiculous and virtually unattainable concept of beauty that Hollywood, the media, and popular culture have created.
I think the best part of this was Andy's reaction. He called them out on it and said even he did a double take when I saw the cover. The strange part is all they "fixed" was the cover, all the pictures on the inside look much better.
ReplyWhich one? :-)
ReplyI think that society has gone way out on marketing, I mean it always has. The least thing that matters to sales people and marketers is the fact that they are lying to us. This world is too commercial and its frost priority is making money regardless human essence.
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ReplyI think the one not on the cover of Men's Health is hot. That one doesn't work me...
You got it right about the designer questioning the absurd requests of marketing biased editors.
ReplyFat is a big issue for girl and they will do anything for trim the body
ReplyLook, I may have naturally plump lips but my face is round and I wish never cared that much for how round my face is (so are Norah Jones and America Ferrera). What is wrong with having a round face?
Besides I've seen recent superhero characters in superhero titles that look stoned on steroids but I tolerate it at certain times. I can say that there is nothing with seeing a lot of moderate muscled superheroes but I tolerate it. I don't care about overly muscular guys or not on such media.
ReplySometimes someone's painted lips look bigger because of optical illusions or that our minds are playing tricks on us, into thinking that individual is like this, like that. Actually if I ever to wear a sombre color like black, it only makes me appear thinner because of our brains are tricking us. I'll stil remain what I was then when I didn't wear black. If you wear black, it will only give the illusion of thinness in actuality you are the way you were. Vice versa for men.
If I were a man with 18-inch biceps, I should have been a dancer (waltz, ballet, not club prostitution). Why a dancer, you can get muscles while dancing it exercises muscle groups. On the other hand, I could be a male rock musician jumping, dancing and prancing (as well as other odd antics) onstage, that's exercise of a different streak. Sorry, but those are professions where you get that while performing or working. But I'd still wear black, white and other neutrals, I don' t care much for what my peers are into.
ReplySince my dad's a sports fan, he'll like reading this.
This is so stupid, I think the magazine editors need to except people the way they are. Or at least put a symbol below the pic which means it was digitally retouched.
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