Is Photoshopping Bad?

Have you ever looked in a mirror wishing you looked like the models you see on Social Media? Have you ever wondered how all the models on Instagram seem perfect? How come they all look the same? You've probably scrolled through Instagram, looking at all of these pictures of celebrities looking perfect. Magazines, Instagram, TikTok, and many more social media platforms all over the world are photoshopping their models to fit the current beauty standards. "Celebrities and models look thinner, taller, unblemished, with brighter eyes and whiter teeth. Seemingly perfect." according to the New York Times.

Many people already know the current beauty standard. You have to either be tall and thin or short and curvy. Having the slightest amount of fat on your body is unacceptable. You have to be thin, but not too thin, or you need to have curves, but you have to hide them because of what others might say. That is what 70% of celebrities are thinking right now. I am sure that at least one person reading this right now agrees that stars look very different in their pictures compared to what they look like in real life. "Photoshopping on social media and seeing what people look like in real life are two very different things," Says Norah Posch. "On social media, women and influencers pose to make them look skinnier."

You might be wondering, "Which celebrities are supporting being photoshopped?" This was my question too. I found many magazines that photoshop their models and many more models that want and promote being photoshopped. Photoshopping creates an unhealthy and unrealistic body image for girls. According to a study from the University of Milan, "A large body of research has linked media portrayal of suicide to spikes in suicide rates."

Many parents don't want their kids to be on Instagram or TikTok at a young age because the creators all seem perfect on these social media apps. They all have flawless skin, excellent facial features and perfect bodies. Many of these creators may look gorgeous and perfect in person, but some creators use photoshop, and they pose in ways that make them look slimmer than they usually are. The apps show the complete opposite of what the creators on those platforms look like in reality. Teenage girls can be significantly affected by this, leading to eating disorders, depression, and suicide.

Nicki Minaj is one of the most known influencers. She is a well-known rapper all over the world, she currently has 162 million followers on Instagram, and she still photoshops her images. Other celebrities that photoshop their pictures are Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Kerry Washington, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, and Ashley Benson. The list goes on and on, but there are, of course, celebrities that don't photoshop their images, says the New York Times.

Zendaya is an actress that does not support photoshop. She is very well known for her roles in Shake It Up, K.C Undercover, Euphoria and Spiderman. However, Zendaya spotted a photo of herself in the Modeliste magazine that had been photoshopped. And she was not happy. Sharing a side-by-side comparison of the raw and photoshopped images, she wrote that "these are the things that make women self-conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have." 

We need many more women and influencers, just like Zendaya. "Photoshopping someone's appearance is never OK," says stylecaster.com. It can lead to many psychological and physical issues that teenagers have to deal with, even more than usual. Putting teenage boys and girls under that kind of pressure can ruin their childhood and future. We should stop photoshopping appearances and tell influencers such as Nicki Minaj to stop photoshopping their facial and body features.