The Impact of Photo Editing

The+Impact+of+Photo+Editing

Sara Wilson, Writer/Illustrator

The impact of photo editing 

Ever wonder what’s real and what’s not? Photoshopping is altering an image with an editing software that distorts reality. There are tons of apps including instagram, snapchat, twitter, etc. where celebrities and ordinary people share their “glamorous” lives. The advanced technology that was once only available to big corporations to edit photos is now at anyone’s disposal through numerous apps.

In 2012, Cosmopolitan magazine asked Demi Lovato to pose for their cover page and write an article about her bulimia and anorexia. When the magazine was published they had edited her normal physique to be pinched in at the waist and bigger at the bust. Not only are big magazines at fault, but Instagram models like Tana Mongeau and Kim Kardashian have been accused of pinching in their waist or lengthening their legs.

This photoshopping has a negative impact on young followers showing that its the new norm. Many young teens’ self confidence can be completely diminished after seeing an influencers edited picture, portraying a “perfect body”. These images give an idea of what society thinks is beautiful and when teens don’t look like that, they believe they are not beautiful. It teaches us that we should hide our insecurities rather than embracing them. By age 10, 80 percent of American girls have been on a diet. Some teens develop eating disorders or experience depression. 

While photo editing can help correct that awkward smile in a wedding photo or correct a lighting issue, the drawbacks of photo editing have a huge impact on society. Social media consumes society today so if all people see are these fabricated photos then expectation change drastically for a person.