Tyra Banks Disproves the Myth of Photographic Truth

When recently watching a rerun of America’s Next Top Model, I witnessed Tyra Banks, unknowingly, disprove the “myth of photographic truth”. In Practices of Looking, Sturken and Cartwright define this myth of photographic truth as the idea that, “a photograph is perceived to be an unmediated copy of the real world, a trace of reality skimmed off the very surface of life.”

Although for years, I myself, along with a good majority of the nation, I’m sure, have heavily speculated that models in fashion ads are “photoshopped”, virtually nipped and tucked to depict the perfect women that could never exist in nature. However, I had no proof. I had never seen a graphic artist late at night at his computer altering images of already stunningly beautiful women. Furthermore, no one in the industry would admit that this practice is taking place. Of course not, we are to believe that these women actually posses these qualities of flawlessness, and that we too can posses them without the aid of digital technologies.

However, Top Model provided me, and many Americans with the proof we have been searching for. As one of the beautiful models stood before the judges, Tyra chastised her for neglecting to take proper care of her body. She stated that the condition of the model’s body would not be tolerated by agencies, and she would not be booked for jobs if she did not work out and tone her “problem areas.” Tyra followed up her last statement by stating to the model that only after she was successful and gained the notoriety that she herself posses in the industry would she acquire the privilege of being airbrushed. At last the fashion industry has come clean. In this digital age where technologies allow for any photograph to be doctored, Tyra Banks has proved that we can no longer expect our photographs to be “unmediated copies of the real world.”

Due to this abundant new technology airbrushing photographs of models and celebrities is now the norm. Below is a link to a picture of Faith Hill on the cover of Redbook Magazine. On the right is original photo and on the left is the magazine cover has obviously been edited to allow Hill to appear more youthful.

http://www.switched.com/2007/08/30/worst-airbrushed-celebs-of-2007-so-far/4

From now on when we look at a magazine or a print advertisement we must remember that what we are seeing is not reality. We are viewing an altered reality that has been created by digital technology.