No filter: Photoshopping - How much is too much?

Last week, Rumer Willis, daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, has accused a magazine and its photographer of over-editing her face and her jawline to fit certain beauty standards. She has gone so far as to call it bullying and that made me wonder where do we draw the line? Is it okay to wear coloured lenses, pushup bras, padded underwears, corsets and spanx but not for someone to digitally enhance/reduce your assets? In the world of Keeping Up with the Kar dashians kind of TV series, plastic surgery is as normal as going to your local salon. 

Feminists are saying that media peddles an idea of what beauty should be, but isn’t it up to us women to choose what we want to follow and conform to? Isn’t freedom of choice and equal opportunity the cornerstones of the feminist movement? Having said that, shouldn’t media with its wide reach also take the responsibility for its messages? 

Kenith Gaedena, a commercial model in the city, says, “I think it’s okay when clients photoshop backgrounds, touch-up pimples or tired under-eyes. But, I draw the line at fake abs or body alterations — as a model, it’s up to me to stay fit. I don’t want people to see photoshopped eight packs and then be disappointed in person. So I work hard to maintain myself as that’s a job requirement.” 

When I asked him about the Justin Bieber-Calvin Klein underwear bulge controversy, he says, “Everyone knows that all male models use a bit of padding while doing underwear shoots so let’s not kid ourselves. The male anatomy is slightly different for each individual and these are readymade underwear. So a bit of padding makes for a better photograph. I don’t think any man walks around wondering why he doesn’t look like that in underwear.” 

It’s interesting how male and female brains work very differently because I have been photoshopped to look several shades lighter and that made me wonder why they didn’t use a lighter-skinned model. Ayisha, my colleague, had her pictures edited to look washed-out in a popular pageant; when the pictures the photographer shot had her glowing. 

“At the beginning of my career, many people would overdraw my lips or enhance them digitally and I never liked my photos. I thought I was not photogenic and lacked confidence until Vinoth took pictures of me where he found the right angles and from then on there has been no looking back for me,” she says. 

Echoing the need to shoot people in their most flattering angles is master photographer G. Venket Ram, the man with the magic lighting. He shares some of his secrets. “It’s important to study a model and shoot her in the best angle with the most flattering makeup and hair. A good photograph — be it commercial or beauty shot — is the best version of a person and that’s where the photographer comes into play. 

Sadly, people have taken Photoshop for granted and it’s making several people lazy. I wish I never had to hear the line ‘let’s fix it in the post,’” he says. The right angle and lighting can create magic and his body of work is proof of just that. 

Disha Shah, a professional retouching artist, says, “There are a lot of misconceptions about photo editing. It’s a tool and it depends on the person using it. When it’s a commercial work, client dictates the rules, but when it’s a personal shoot then preferences and feminist ideals come into play. 

I, personally, don’t like to change the skin texture or edit freckles and moles out. I will, however, take a pimple out because it’s a temporary occurrence. Social media has both pros and cons — you’ll see over filtered images, but you also see filter-free images embracing the real skin and it’s nice when clients want that as well.” 

Shweta Gai, a city model, tells me, “Once in a while, I hear people referring to me as a ‘flatscreen TV’ or a ‘surfer board’ or make ‘mosquito bite’ references and it doesn’t affect me anymore. 

I’m proud of my body. I was once asked to wear triple padded bras and underwear for my movie shoot but I refused. If they wanted someone voluptuous, they could have cast someone else.” 

However, a client, while she was shooting for a saree brand, wasn’t happy with her curves. She obliged by wearing pushup bras and they still went on to enhance it digitally without her knowledge. She laughs at that experience and you can see that she has evolved into a mature and confident woman when it comes to her body of work. I’m wondering if there is an end to this debate in the future. 

What has to go first — female insecurities and the need for perfection or media propagating certain beauty standards? Are AI-generated models and beauty influencers and over-filtered reality the future? Think about it the next time you criticise someone’s appearance starting with your own reflection.