One of my culture artifacts is the picture editing program called Photoshop that is why this week I decided to read and learn more about it. I had always heard about Photoshop and how certain media outlets use it to distort the perception of beauty. According to the article”How 25 years of photoshop changed our perception of reality,” Photoshop was launched twenty-five years ago by Thomas Knoll (this really amazes me because I am twenty-two years old which means I have not lived a life without Photoshop). It started as a simple computer program that was only able to display a black and white images on a computer screen. For the last twenty five years Adobe Photoshop has slowly but surely taken over our computers, smartphones, social media, fashion magazines, and newspapers.
The article goes on to say that our society is so use to seeing photographs that have been altered by photoshop that we become shocked when we see real photographs without photoshop. Photographs that have been altered can lead people to believe that what they are seeing is “normal.” Photoshop does not only effect the perception of beauty it also effects the perception we have about everyday events. Apparently over editing is not only limited to the fashion industry anymore Photoshop is now being overused in photojournalism. Renowned German media scholar Thomas Kniepe states in the article that there are no clear regulations to using Photoshop however we as a society need to rethink how much of this software we use. Kniepe says, “Generally, technical edits like adjusting colors, sharpening, and removing fluff are tolerated by most media organizations.But what’s usually considered a no-go is changing the meaning of a picture by creating a montage, removing objects and people as well as adding in new information.” It is important that the media does not abuse photoshop because one little manipulation can change the entire meaning of a photograph.
In related to beauty standards using photoshop to alter or modify photographs can have a disastrous outcome in the minds of young girls and women. In a blog post by “Beauty Redefined” it says that “While the vast majority of images of women are being digitally altered, so are our perceptions of normal, healthy, beautiful and attainable.” From the year 1999 to 2006, there was a 119% increase in the number of children under age 12 hospitalized due to an eating disorder (most of which were girls). According to the blog “the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that no exact cause of eating disorders have yet been found, they do admit that some characteristics have been shown to influence the development of the illnesses, which include low self-esteem, fear of becoming fat and being in an environment where weight and thinness were emphasized – all of which are shown to be related to media depictions of idealized bodies.” Most if not all of these idealized bodies will have been altered with photoshop many times before they are released.
Many if not all millennials do not know life without Photoshop. As I am learning more about this editing software I am coming to terms with the fact that almost every photograph that I have seen and will see will have a slight (or more) of manipulation. As it relates to beauty standards Photoshopping has taken altering to a new level that without any regulations will lead to much harm among our society.
http://www.beautyredefined.net/photoshopping-altering-images-and-our-minds/
http://www.dw.com/en/how-25-years-of-photoshop-changed-our-perception-of-reality/a-18284410