(Re)touch Me in the Morning

I wasn't going to address this topic, which seems to be everywhere these days: the (arguably) excessive retouching of celebrity photos.

The outrage this issue generates seems strange to me, since retouching of one sort or another has been around since the advent of photography.  (Before computers, it was done primarily on the photographic negative.)

Speaking of photography, I just got a new camera and I love it.  It's the Canon S90, a dramatic upgrade from my Canon S1000, which I've enjoyed and used well for more than two (two, wowee!) years.  (It's the one we've used for all of Cathy's glamorous photo shoots.)

Here's a pic I took yesterday of my mother, a 100% unretouched eighty!

Here's Willy -- completely unlined at nearly two!

And here's my Vogue 9128 blouse, practically wrinkle free.



I just assume every celebrity photo I see has been retouched, but whether they are or they aren't, what difference does it make to me?

What I do notice is that this Is-she/isn't-she/OMG-look-how-much-she-is retouched argument nearly always seems to focus on a handful of female celebrities, some young, some not-so-young, who are then publicly ridiculed for the sin of having the very physical imperfections we're told to teach ourselves to embrace -- which is why we find retouching such an affront, I guess.   Do you follow my argument?

It's like Madonna, how dare she have her flab photographically excised when mine is right there where I left it, pouring over the top of my jeans.  I just deal with it, why can't Madonna (or Britney, or Demi, or _________.)?

It also reflects our culture's love/hatred of women and demand for everlasting female physical perfection even if it means surgery.  What's up with that?

When's the last time anyone's heart rate raced over a retouched photo of Tom Cruise?  Actors are our fantasy figures and we expect/want them to be glamorized, right?  I assume that when Tom gets up in the morning he looks just like I do -- maybe a little bit better.

So how about you, readers?  Are you offended by photoshopped photos of your favorite celebrities and/or models?  Do you delight in stumbling upon unretouched photos revealing in near microscopic detail every liver spot and cellulite dimple?  Do you secretly hope Demi Moore has 42" hips?

Have you ever been retouched and if not, would you be willing to submit to a spontaneous hard drive search right now?

Jump in, (crows) feet first!

This always makes me laugh...