Do you think Photoshop on magazine covers set an unrealistic portrayal of beauty? Sometimes I think it depends what one considers as beauty. Most of us unknowingly categorize each other as physically beautiful or not based on the golden ratio. At the same time I do see these covers and some of these women and men do not even look 100% human. It's almost like a completely digital image. What is your opinion?
I believe these photoshopped magazine covers, posters, and billboard ads are potentially dangerous to mental health, especially to teens and naive women. Indeed, these manipulated images portray an unrealistic level of beauty that are impossible to achieve even with the use of all the expensive beauty products. In fact some countries have banned publishing magazines with altered photos as these have caused a number of depression cases among teens and young women. If it cannot be avoided, magazine publishers must include a label on the page saying "This image was altered... etc." to warn all readers that what they are seeing is a product of fantasy.
I could not care less about photoshopped covers or ads. I think at this point we all know that the images are photoshopped (even celebrity paparazzi photos get this treatment) so I don't waste my time worrying about these images which may as well be drawings.
They need to get us out of the house to buy more stuff, and Photoshop helps. We're constantly bombarded with happy, beautiful people in each direction we look until we finally feel that our lives need improvements. And how do we improve? By buying more stuff! Stuff to make us happy and beautiful. I think that's up to us to develop some sort of immunity to the unrealistic standards that are being set. And we also need to teach our kids and loved ones that some of the things they see are just an illusion
