The worlds of movies, television, and music are home to some of the most beautiful women in the worldĀ but, unfortunately, these womenĀ are being retouched and photoshopped in what has fast become a new standard operating procedure in modern media. Gone are the natural looks to which we can all relate,Ā and in their place is a new set of unattainable beauty standards. Luckily, not every celebrity is taking the issue lightly, and many famous women have spoken out about retouching and its effects.
Photoshop has created an even bigger gulf between celebrity culture and everyday people. It may seem innocent on the surface - a little retouch here, a smoothing-out there - but it can send the wrong message about what true beauty really is. So here's to those singers and actresses who called out magazines for Photoshop use. It's so important towardĀ normalizing realistic standardsĀ and perpetuating the real meaning of beauty. Check out the thoughts of a few famous women who were none too happy to see themselvesĀ retouchedĀ in the media.
Out of all the stars in the current celebrity stratosphere, Beyoncé is one who would seemingly need no retouching whatsoever. H&M, apparently, felt differently.
In 2013, the singer-actress-megastar did some modeling for the famed clothing store's summer collection. But word got back to Bey that H&M was planning to airbrush and modify her curves and she was understandably furious. She demanded that her voluptuousness remain intact and H&M eventually agreed, publishing the photos as is.
Age: 42
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Credits: Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Great Gatsby, Dreamgirls, Epic
Pretty Little Liars' Hanna Marin is a character who always looks out for her friends. Ashley Benson, the actress who plays her, shares this deep sense of loyalty and is aware of the image she is presenting - and the messages she is sending - to the world.
When a promotional poster for the series was retouched, Benson was outraged. "Our faces... were from four years ago," she said. "We all look ridiculous."
Age: 33
Birthplace: Long Beach, California, USA
Credits: Pretty Little Liars, Spring Breakers, Pixels, Bring It On: In It to Win It
When Glamour magazine honored Lady Gaga as one of their Women of the Year in 2013, they probably weren't counting on their honoree blasting them in her acceptance speech. But that's exactly what Gaga did, and with good reason. Her photos had recently appeared in and on the cover of the magazine, and they were practically unrecognizable to even Ms. Gaga herself. "I do not look like this when I wake up in the morning," she said.
Ever mindful of the messages she's giving, however tacitly, to her devoted fans, she told the magazine industry in general that when their covers change, "that’s when culture changes."
Age: 37
Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
Credits: Lady Gaga Presents: The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden, Machete Kills, Lady Gaga: Paparazzi
Zendaya is barely out of her teens and already pictures of her have been digitally altered. Her 2015 images in Modeliste magazine made the beloved singer and actress see red. "These are the things that make women self-conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have," she said.
Bear in mind that Zendaya was just 19 years old when she posed for the Modeliste photos. "Anyone who knows who I am knows I stand for honest and pure self love. So I took it upon myself to release the real pic... and I love it," she said on Instagram. Kudos, Zendaya!
Age: 27
Birthplace: Oakland, USA, California
Credits: Euphoria, Malcom And Marie, The Greatest Showman, Spider-Man: Homecoming
Lena Dunham has never been afraid to speak her mind and she doesn't flinch in the face of controversy. So when the Spanish magazine Tentaciones ran an image that may or may not have been retouched, Dunham spoke out.
The issue was eventually settled and the photo was published (Tentaciones denied digitally editing Dunham), but the Girls star/writer/director has since drawn a line in the sand. "The gap between what I believe and what I allow to be done to my image has to close now," she wrote in her newsletter, Lenny. "I bid farewell to an era when my body was fair game."
British actress Keira Knightley took a bold stance against digital alterations by posing topless - and unedited - in Interview magazine as a way of showing the world what her body really looked like. Knightley had grown sick and tired of seeing her body photoshopped a thousand different ways, including on a promotional movie poster for her 2004 movie King Arthur.
Noting her edited chest in the ad, Knightley commented, "Those things certainly aren't mine." At the end of the day, she recognizes a universal truth that seems to have evaded popular Hollywood thinking: "It really doesn't matter what shape you are."
Age: 38
Birthplace: Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK
Credits: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Imitation Game, Pride & Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest