Teenage girls spend time in the media center looking at magazines. Photo by: Noemy Almendarez
By:Noemy Almendarez
Airbrushing and Photoshopping can leave teenagers with unrealistic expectations and goals that could lead to harmful practices. It can also leave them with emotional damage and low self-worth. Likewise it affects actors and actresses because they feel they are unrealistic.
Photoshopping today is common; not all people think that Photoshopping is good to do. Airbrushing has both positives and negatives. Senior Nadia Baca said, “It doesn’t affect me, but I always think about younger girls and boys looking at those photos and losing their self confidence because they don’t look like that Photoshopped.” Airbrushing can affect both genders, but it seems to affect teenage girls. Senior Nick Belisle said that it “….cause insecurities, though it’s the fault of the girl for not knowing
A students in the media center looking at magazines with Photoshopped celebrities and models. Photo by : Noemy Almendarez
what realistic expectations are.”
As well as Photoshopping affecting girls, it also affects boys. Belisle said that Photoshopping “causes men to have unrealistic expectations regarding the girl’s appearance, but that’s also his fault for him not knowing what realistic expectations are.” It’s different for boys than girls. Baca said, “There are pictures of bodybuilders or male models who seem to have perfect muscles, and boys compare themselves to that.” Boys perception of girls may be influenced by Photoshopping. Sophomore Jon Sommers said, “I think it raises a young males expectation on what a real women should look like.”
When it comes to photoshopping people the question may be, “Is there a double standard with photoshopping genders?” Belisle said, “[…]society often focuses more on the negative effects it has on women than men. Society complains more about photoshopped women than men. More effort should be focused on educating the masses about unrealistic depictions of either gender, rather than attack media that does use airbrushing.” Senior Skyler Detrick made a comment on how it is the same as the enhancement of the upper body for both male and female. In modern day there are still negative effects from photoshopping and airbrushing. Belisle said the negative effects are “by causing society to believe absolute perfection is possible, though as previously mentioned, it only affects the uninformed.”