Opinions on airbrushing

Airbrushing is most commonly used in the media industry, to create what could be known as a 'perfect image'. Airbrushing is used for a variety of things, such as, removing spots of models, to just simply smoothing out the skin or even enlarging muscles.

However, these images do not reflect on reality and are forcing the younger generation to want to look this way and that is why there is much debate over the fact of airbrushing.

 

Here is an image which I found off the internet, of a girl who has had a normal photograph taken which has then been airbrushed, to create a lighter smoother looking skin, whiter teeth, blonder hair and lighter inside of the eyes compared to the contrast of the darkened eyeshadow around her eyes. However, airbrushing is also used to emphasize curves and differ skin tones. 

    For example, this image of Kim Kardashian  has been airbrushed to emphasize her curves. As on the first image, we are able to see her tummy sticking out about which looks totally natural. However in the second image we can see this 'lump' has been toned down as well as her legs and boobs to put her body into proportion of how the magazine/company want it. Also, another aspect of this image which is really obvious is the airbrushing of her skin tone, her skin is a term what may be described as 'Olive', yet in the second image she has been airbrushed to make her skin lighter, and basically more white. According to some scientist, who look into the measures of airbrushing, have expressed that this airbrushing of the skin tone is blatantly  for the audience. As in Britain, the majority of the target audience are white and supposedly this will make us more intrigued to buy the magazine, or what the advert is advertising. However, this is very wrong and could be seen as racism against Black people. 

Yet, this 'wrongness' of airbrushing is continued highly as a nurse consultant at Newbridge House, Rachel Matthews, talks about airbrushing as she is a specialist in eating disorder clinic in Sutton Coldfield. Matthews said: "We find that although younger girls are exposed to many different types of media and images, these younger girls are not usually able to tell the difference between normal photographs and air-brushed images. This means that over time, young women are increasingly seeing and comparing themselves with images which are neither realistic nor authentic."