Monday, January 05, 2009

Beautiful People - Mystery Solved

Over the last couple of months, I've posted some unsolved (or unanswered type) mysteries. Today, I have one that is solved. Have you ever been standing in the grocery store and seen one of those gossips mags? They always seem to have some candid (and most likely HIGHLY unwanted) shot of some celebrity, and quite frankly, if they didn't tell me who it was I probably couldn't guess. Especially those cheese-butt bathing suit shots since, well, I haven't committed movie star butts to memory for a couple of years now. Except Daniel Craig, but that goes without saying. My grandma would know Daniel Craig's butt and she's been dead for years now.

Now, I've always known that there's makeup and hairstylists and airbrushing, etc. but I don't think I realized exactly how much of a difference Photoshop was making in glamour pics. Airbrushing dark circles or blemishes is one thing, but check out this video - it's truly amazing.


Do you think these people would do my next author shots?????? I know, kinda against their whole principal, right? (sigh) Now I understand why sales on facial products stay high regardless of the economy - not to mention a plastic surgeon on every block. People are quite literally trying to achieve a look that is better fiction than what I write.

Well, I have Photoshop myself now. I guess I better get to being an expert so I can be thinner, younger, have thick hair, perfect teeth, and beautifully arched eyebrows. Hey, that way if I ever get really, really famous, I'll never run the risk of being recognized at the local Walmart. :)

Deadly DeLeon

16 comments:

Keri Ford said...

Jana, what I find interesting about this kind of thing is that actresses and such of yonder years didn't have this sort of technology.

Were those photos of Audry Hepburn touched up? What about, ahhh, I'm forgetting, something with Leigh--Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With The Wind.

Maybe they were touched on a little, but they were beautiful--naturaly--women. It seems the folks in charge are looking for whoever they can make beautiful.

I love this Dove campaign. I do my part and use their soap! Not their shampoo though, makes my hair too soft.

Keri Ford said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jana DeLeon said...

Keri - I don't know what they did for certain. I know they used lighting and filters to "fix" skin and I'm sure they were covered with makeup but as far as making their neck thinner and longer and their eyes bigger and eyebrows higher...I don't think so. My guess is what they could do with makeup to create the illusion they did, but it couldn't come anywhere close to that video. I was still "okay" with most of it - the makeup, extensions, etc. until they made her neck longer - that's when they lost me and everything after that was just icing on the cake.

I would hate to be raising young girls right now.

Christie Craig said...

Jana,

Wonderful post girl!

And so true. I loved the part that they made her neck longer. I mean, can a surgeon even do that?

CC

Gemma Halliday said...

Wow, that was pretty incredible.

I had a funny moment last summer doing a series of library talks. At one a bookseller looked at me and went, “Wow, you actually look like your author photo.”

I kinda laughed and said, “Well, I hope so, that was me at the photo shoot.”

She shook her head and told me how many authors she’s met who look nothing like their photoshopped counterparts. Kinda made me think I needed to learn photoshop.

Terri Osburn said...

I'm raising a daughter and it's not easy to keep this kind of crap away from her. It even affects me. I've always hated the way I look and this stuff doesn't help.

Jana DeLeon said...

LOL Christie - I'm guessing not even the best surgeon in the world could perform the neck trick. Scary, huh?

Jana DeLeon said...

Gemma - I've had that happen at conference. Not that I didn't recognize them but I'm looking at some woman who is darn close to drawing social security and thinking, "she used her high school year book picture for her books - what a joke."

I don't mind touching up a bit, but looking 20+ years younger than you really are is just silly.

It's funny that the librarian said something about it.

Jana DeLeon said...

terrio - My condolences on raising the daughter. It can't possibly be easy with the Britney Spears/Paris Hilton examples out there. Then throw in fake beauty and skinny achieved only through plastic surgery and eating disorders and it's a wonder any of them make it to adulthood.

Suzan Harden said...

LOL - There was an article in yesterday's Houston Chronicle about how the recession was limiting the number of plastic surgeries but increasing the number of non-invasive procedures such as Botox.

I'd say the plastic surgeons are doing just fine.

Jana DeLeon said...

Suzan - I guess as long as we still have to interact face to face then the plastic surgeons will do fine. :)

Leslie Langtry said...

There was a story a year or so ago where plastic surgeons took photos of Hepburn and Monroe and worked them over citing where they needed "work." And I thought they were beautiful like they were!

Jenyfer Matthews said...

I had to have a passport photo taken this week to renew my passport. I pulled out all the stops and actually put on mascara for the event :) I am *sure* they put the photo through some sort of touch-up in photoshop before they gave it to me because not only can't you see my freckles or crow's feet but you can't even see my pores! I kind of look like a wax dummy in it actually. They did the same to my husband's photo. I guess they think it's all part of the service!

Jana DeLeon said...

Leslie - it just goes to show. How is that any different than rewriting classics?

Jana DeLeon said...

jenyfer - if it's not really crisp then I'd say they either have crappy equipment or they're using some sort of filter. Either way, it makes you wonder. I mean, don't we really want a good photo if this is the id to hop from country to country?

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Oh, the photo is crisp and easily recognizable as me - I think they just put it through some Photoshop filter (or whatever) to 'even' out my skin. I've never had a "porcelain" complexion in my life!