It’s no secret that social media can put an enormous amount of pressure on you to look perfect all the time. But when that pressure becomes too much, is it okay to photoshop pictures of yourself to fit the mold? From celebrities to just regular people, so many people have begun using editing apps to enhance their bodies on a digital scale. Is this a way to empower oneself or is it adding to the dog-eat-dog world we call social media?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPw1sSFsL0/
@igfamousbodies is an Instagram account that prides itself in finding un-edited photos of celebrities and comparing them to their edited versions. Sometimes, the differences they find are minor, but sometimes, it looks like they are comparing two totally different people. This brings into question — where should the line be drawn with photo editing? Should there even be a line?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhKIK4SFfZI/?utm_source=ig_embed
Tons of celebrities, of course including the Kardashian’s, have been caught red-handed photoshopping their pictures. Look closely to the picture of Kim Kardashian above and see if anything looks fishy. Can you see it? If you look at the bottom of the door frame on the left side, you can see that the door frame is curved (meaning she photoshopped her thigh to look smaller) The Internet has slammed the Kardashians and more time and time again for photoshopping their pictures and creating unrealistic expectations for others to follow. Many claim that celebrities and influencers should be using their platforms to inspire women and help them feel confident about their own individual bodies — is using photoshop counteracting that? Celebrities face probably the largest amount of pressure on social media because of their following, and that pressure may be the cause of why so many of them end of editing their photos. What would happen if celebrities didn’t succumb to that pressure, and they broke the mold of wanting to look perfect?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwHGef0BVzk/
Some influencers like Karina Irby are vocal about the dangers of photoshop, and encourage their fans to unfollow those who use it. Irby uses her platform to express to her 1 million followers that it’s okay to not look perfect and to never feel the need to edit your photos to look a different way. She urges women to love their bodies for how they are, to never compare yourself to others, and to always keep it real.
Whether you are editing one strand of hair or your entire body, it’s important to keep in mind the effect it might have on others. It’s great to want to feel confident, just remember you don’t need photoshop to do that. If celebrities used their platforms to encourage unconditional self-confidence rather than striving for perfection, imagine what might happen.
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