i thought this was interesting... the fact that in two columns i look a little different and a little "chubbier” than i do on the other two (quiz #1: can anyone name the two im talking about!? ;) i noticed that i more liked the two that were brighter and somehow look a little thinner (upon closer observation.)
i dont mean 'chubby' by much... but theres a subtle difference in size. also, in those chubby ones, I can see more details; like the lines under my eyes, the freckles on my face, and changes in color and things.
i guess i ran with this in a blog b/c of the things ive read/watched about the medias effects (especially in advertising) on perceptions. even the exact same photo of me can look different with a simple change in contrast. (i did the color for fun ;) and I think I like one more than the other b/c im thinking one resembles the images in the media a little tiny bit more than the other one does (thinner, clearer skin!)
for me, it poses questions like: what might this be creating in human minds—seeing altered images of other humans so frequently--not seeing the reality of how other humans actually look? does it matter at all? can it affect me in any way? or am i mature and intelligent enough to know it’s not real and to never harbor any judgment (subconscious or not) towards anyone (including myself!) who doesn’t look like (or similar to) those images? OR am i just overzealously analyzing something that doenst need thinking about?
to further the discussion, i dont really look EXACTLY like this picture all the time either. when i look down like that when i get out of bed in the morning, there’s no way i always look that calm and beautifully content-- no way (and i was pregnant in this photo!)
so seeing as some photos totally enhance my over all appearance, and if i am bombarded with unrealistic images ALL THE TIME… aren’t i left to compare my real-life looking self with digitally altered images?
even the subtle techniques, like black & white and sepia, can make me look a little different—so, imagine the pictures that are being created by big magazines and advertizing agencies!? (sometimes they crop pieces of several different women(!) and paste them together to make up one woman(!)!!! how unnatural (and untruthful!) is THAT!? why do they do it? are humans natural appearances not good enough to sell things or play roles in things? why do people need to create these unnatural images? are they really trying to make me feel bad about myself so i will buy/watch/cry/what?! i don’t see any point in it.
over the years, i really have noticed that i dont really like many pictures of me.
and i have noticed that same thing in people i know- not all people, but some people.
some times i only like pictures of me that have been altered in some way (over-exposer is a popular favorite amongst some people who feel this way!)
photos that look too much like me make me feel disfigured in some way(s)! it’s so awful! it’s a friggin’ pandemic!
by saying: “too much like me” i mean: showing any of my zits, freckles, lines, colors, dimples, hairs… that "noise" in photos that is airbrushed out of photos. the real life beauty marks that make our bodies human- those are the things i (and other people) dislike about some of my photos. The real me/us. Those altered images contrast and erase any of that! it’s kinda really sick if you think about it deeply.
its very… frankenstein. digital disfigured images making real life people feel like they look disfigured! IMAGINE!?!? What’s the world come to!! how can we give something that much control over us and not even really realize it? most of the effects seem very unconscious/subconscious (not helping one of the widest spread of human diseases- crushed self confidence!)
but again, all of this is just speculation— maybe I have no idea— maybe people don’t compare themselves to the digitally altered images that are smeared all over the entertainment and business sides of society— and maybe no one is ever consciously or subconsciously affected by it—maybe it’s just me…
and hey, maybe i do look exactly like this photo all the time— maybe.
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