Sweet Dreams

The above pictures were all altered. Can you tell? You probably can't. While I only altered the hue, saturation, brightness and contrast to make them look even more appealing, they were most likely pre-altered before they hit the net. These three gentlemen are Bruno Mars, G-Dragon, and Taeyang, all famous singers. The images came from different photo shoots had at some point in their careers. These pictures were most likely originally manipulated to appeal to their female audiences just a little bit more. Their faces might have had a little bit of a touch up on the computer as well as in makeup. I'm not saying this is a crime. Look at them. They're gorgeous! All I'm saying is it would be nice if we knew the pictures had been altered.

 An editorial done by PR Newswire stated this exact thing. "We're not saying advertisers can't continue doing exactly what they've been doing....saying that if they choose to keep doing his, they need to be straight and upfront about it." (1) Now while they are talking about advertisements with photo enhancements that have been affecting the psyche of women for years now, I believe this can apply to male celebrities as well as female ones. For example, if I met Taeyang, the one on the right, in person, I might be a little disappointed because he may not look as good in person as he does in this photo. Of course he probably looks close, but my perception of him is based on the photos I see of him. Now, if someone would post somewhere on or along with this photo a little note that says "pictures have been altered" or something like that, then I would not set my expectations so high. Not a lot of people believe that photoshop can apply to men as well. You get just as affected by the visual enhancement of a man as you would a woman. 

This is just a little a little food for thought, but photoshopping isn't the crime. It's letting people believe its the truth when that's not the case. It's like living in a dream :) Sweet dreams everyone!

(1) PR Newswire, comp. "Off Our Chest." Regional Business News. EBSCO, 22 Aug. 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=a249e141-da62-4b03-8372-6b486b1bd048%40sessionmgr4002&hid=4210&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=bwh&AN=201108220805PR.NEWS.USPR.LA55233>.