Do you ever find yourself harbouring suspicions about the fairness of the world when you see the latest cover girl of Vogue looking completely flawless; cheek bones and a jaw line sculpted by the Gods, the dream nose and an unblemished face. Reality has us teenage girls and women in general brainwashed by these said models and their impeccable appearance as if they woke up like 'dat, revealing glowing skin, perfectly groomed eyebrows and luscious lashes as the norm - knocking confidence like there's no tomorrow. However, these appearances are usually altered abundantly, using makeup and photo editing to transform one's look.
It's no secret makeup is a wonder worker and has been enhancing natural beauty for decades. Makeups ability to transform a person's appearance within minutes with just the basic skills on-hand is astounding. With the right contour, even the most shapeless face can be given depth. The media and the women who appear in the media have the most highly skilled makeup artists working on their face, transforming it bit by bit, adding depth, shape and treating each face like a canvas, the finishing result becoming; a work of art. This is what these naturally beautiful ladies change to, their unique skin, face shape, eye shape, lips, you name it are all somewhat remodeled to form something just as beautiful.
In the above picture, although slightly un-blended, i have sculpted out my invisible cheekbones, I have contoured my jawline, and i have contoured my nose. This whole process has given the illusion of a slimmer, more defined face and facial features. These processes give me confidence, empowers me as a woman and boost my self esteem like no other. Makeup is powerful; it's not a mask, its an enhancer, an enhancer of natural beauty of women and men across the globe, boosting the self esteem and confidence of many. For these celebrities, cover girls, and celebrities it's no different. Yes, they woke up the same way we did, and they have had to undergo the same processes - often in greater amounts - as almost everyday of their lives is documented in picture but beneath it all, just like us their faces too may be less defined, their cheek bones alot less visible and their tired, under eye bags just as overly prominent as ours.
Along with makeup, photo filters have an extensive role to play in the transformation/enhancement of ones appearance in a photo. Even down to the lighting of a photo can greatly compliment the complexion, without a scrap of makeup on the skin. Filters can make makeup look more flawless, cheek bones more prominent and give the illusion of glowing skin. Blemishes can be banished with the click of a button, and the skin can be softened. The two different shades of black and white in the picture above even present a high contrast, with the contour looking much softer in the first one opposed to the lighter one. My skin in the above photos is also softened, reducing the appearance of freckles. There's no end to the changes one can make with a bit of experiencing in photo taking and editing, meaning these flawless women we see on magazines and highlighted in the media are not always accurate perceptions of the person's real life appearance.
The work of makeup and photo editing in the media can often make us feel inferior of the women we see. This feeling of inferior is wrong, as beneath it all these people are as natural as us, they've been through the aforementioned processes, with the pictures of them edited and touched up to the max. They have their down days, the days when they feel worthless and days when their self esteem is at the lowest of low, and their "i woke up like 'dis" appearance just as natural and beautiful as ours. They've the same levels of natural beauty as both you and i underneath the influence of makeup, the media and photo filters.
"Even the models we see in magazines wish they could look like their own images" - Cheri K Erdman.
No comments:
Post a Comment