Oh do you remember when Shape magazine claimed none of their cover models are airbrushed? Editor-in-chief Valerie Latona responded to accusations of photo fakery in her monthly letter from the editor in the March edition saying she “emphatically and truthfully” promises that “we do not alter stars’ bodies.” Latona says her magazine “features ladies who are healthy role models and aims to give credit to women – celebs or real-world folks – for the dedication, hard work and sweat they put into their physiques.” Never before had a US ladymag come right out and swore on a stack of Conde Nast shiny bibles that they do not, as a policy, airbrush their covergirls – girls that have included the impossibly beautiful Faith Hill, Angie Harmon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and others. Apparently the emphasis really is on the impossible and not the beautiful.
There was a slight furor when Angie Harmon, November 2007’s covergirl, mentioned offhand that photographers always edit out her c-section scar. Most of us, while we didn’t really understand why one would ever wear a bikini bottom cut low enough to show a c-section scar, could at least understand photoshopping out the occasional zit or scar.
And then along came Jenny McCarthy, this month’s covergirl, who posed – how else? – in a bikini standing thigh deep in water. In an interview about the photoshoot, Mcarthy says:
“It’s eating healthy and also a crap load of airbrushing… I keep myself in very good shape… but it is definitely a little touched up.
“I have freckles… and stretchmarks that you do not see here, and they add a little shadowing to make these muscle things happen that don’t exist on my body.”
So now it’s not just about taking out minor skin imperfections or fixing lighting issues, but a fitness magazine is airbrushing in muscles. I guess that’s the real secret to “Get flat abs fast!!” No cardio, no weights, just good old fashioned trickery. The sad part to this story is that Shape magazine had a really unique opportunity to make good on their word. Sure, nobody believed them at the time but if Latona had expressed a desire to change her mag for the better, rather than just lying outright, I think she could have had a really positive impact on the industry. Instead, she’s just a liar.
PS> While I’m complaining, it really bugs me that their cover story on McCarthy is “I used to weigh 200 pounds!” She did, but only right after giving birth to son Evan… who is now 6 years old. Is this really still news?
UPDATE: Self magazine has issued a rebuttal saying that they did not photoshop Jenny McCarthy. Jezebel has the full press release and the pictures for you to compare.
I weighed 200 pounds during my pregnancies, too. Then I gave birth and eventually lost all the weight I’d put on that my body needed in order to carry healthy babies.
Jenny McCarthy has a body that most women in our country would gladly sell their grandmothers for, and “Shape” STILL has to add contouring and airbrushing to make her look “better?”
Give me a break!!!!!
If I bought the magazine, I’d boycott.
Boo! Hiss! I wish nobody would buy these magazines.
You know, finding out she was airbrushed in that pic makes me feel a little better. Mad that they do it, yes, but glad that even Jenny, herself, admitted to stretch marks and a lack of a defined six-pack.
Incidentally, I got up to 200 pounds during my last pregnancy. I suspect many of us have been there.
Charlotte, only you could make ‘ladymag’ sound dirty!
Great post xxx
Anything to sell and make money..unfortunately.
Why am I so disappointed?
I RARELY get all up in these controversies as I assume the worst (p-shopped) and move on.
Now I am wondering about Julia Louis Dreyfus.
I assumed she was photoshopped and it all kinda made me sad.
I love her and how she seems to be so COMFORTABLE in her own skin like Jenny.
and I wonder if they (Jenny/Julia) couldnt just take a stand and refuse to do the cover unless they could be brush-free.
This makes me so mad I could spit.
Why do we continue to buy this crap and compare our bodies to airbrushed creations?
I love pictures of REAL women with real bodies; buying a womens’s magazine these days is getting to be more and more like buying a comic book and wondering why we don’t have superpowers too.
Thanks for exposing this Charlotte! I am less tempted than ever to pick one of these rags up.
I don't mean to sound "bitter" but I am. I have tried for years to be a "reader model" in some of the mags. More lately because I think I have done really well for someone my age & can inspire younger people & let them know they can be fit at an older age too .. yet to no avail. I think some of it is the "beauty/the camera loves you" factor & the camera does not like me too much. But, I am fit. I heard Jenny say this & was disappointed although she looks fab without the air brushing!
You know, if there is one person they could have absolutely not airbrushed at all, it’s her. She looks rocking good!
I can understand using lighting to make a person look glowing and make all the contours of their body more visible. But I’ve had a sneaking suspicion that Shape has been airbrushing abs on their models for years. And I just can’t support a fitness magazine that doesn’t give me an honest picture of a healthy woman, whether she’s got stretch marks, C-section scars, or thighs that are bigger than 15 inches around.
This makes me SO mad – this is a health and fitness magazine for goodness sake! If they can’t bring themselves not to photoshop bodies to Barbie like perfection as real examples to the rest of us, who can?
I expect some “cleaning up” but to photoshop in muscle definition? Sure, I can photoshop my abs too but I’d prefer to see someone who’s actually achieved the look through work than through airbrushing. And if they don’t have the defined abs but still look smoking? I want to see that too.
This is why I don’t buy Shape. Plus the material inside is pretty awful too.
Yeah, I’m a bit depressed now. Mainly because of the lying.
But I was surprised that Shape would say that if you saw Jen McCarthy in a bikini she’d look the same, when there are tons of paparazzi shots of her in bikinis and she doesn’t look like the cover.
That said, she still looks freaking amazing.
This makes me so mad! Why do these mags feel the need to Photoshop someone who already looks amazing.
Not only are women trying to achieve the bodies of these “air-brushed” models – so are the country’s teenage girls. Is it any wonder that so many girls suffer from low self esteem or eating disorders?
Shape shoudl be ashamed of their actions. I will never buy this magazine again!!
Jenny looks wonderful – as is and with alterations. I totally get getting rid of scars and stuff like that. There is simply no need to add in new muscles though.
I also hate when a mag publishes a photo of a “bigger” gal and then they make this whole huge deal about it. Yes, so you had two pages with a “normal” and not pin thin woman – stop acting like you’ve really changed. Come to me when you’ve gotten rid of all the impossibly skinny people and they are the ones who only get two pages in like one issue per year.
I guess it’s a guy thing, but I don’t really care about the photo shopping. I try not to judge a magazine by it’s cover, of course, the insides are not always so pretty either 🙁
In general, I just expect that all magazines photoshop and call it a day. I gave up on comparing myself to them long ago – I will not have a body like that without plastic surgery (skin that gets stretched to 265 lbs only shrinks down so far).
In this instance, it does bother me that they out and out lied about no shopping – editing out scars, sure. Adding muscles – bad.
Good for her for coming out and saying that she’d been airbrushed!
You know, I’ve got a subscription to this and have been thinking about cancelling it. The photshopping alone wouldn’t have been enough to make me do it, but the fact that they straight-up lied about it is enough to push me over the edge and cancel it. And maybe send a note telling them why.
When you see some of the cover photos, the way they do it, it is impossible to think it isn’t airbrushed. The finished product doesn’t look human. It looks artificial and things just don’t look right. They can deny as much as they would like – they aren’t fooling anyone.
What is the deal with the magazine? Do they seriously think they’re that good at p-shopping that they won’t get caught?
Lying irritates the heck out of me, too. I’ve gained a lot of respect for Jenny for coming out with the truth. (And she would know, right? Right.)
I love Photoshop! I for one would never, ever show a shoot to a pimply teenager and promise, “I’ll zap those out later, if you order that one.” I really want them to think they were that amazingly beautiful on shoot day! Sells more photos. Wait, I think you are referring to me as part of the problem.
I understand now why the cover also says, “No gym necessary! Get a body you’ll love.” Of course it won’t actually be your body…
Interesting!
This is such a great story. Shape is one of the worst (next to playboy) for airbrushing. Today I read http://www.flzine.com/photo-retouch-for-magazine-like-beauty/ and I was shocked at the things they do to people to make them “perfect” when they are already beautiful.
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