Home BeautyBody Image Retouching, Body Image and The Photoshop Diet: When Playboy Models Aren’t Even Enough

Retouching, Body Image and The Photoshop Diet: When Playboy Models Aren’t Even Enough

by Erika Nicole Kendall

Obviously, I can’t/won’t show the photos on this blog space, but for those of you who are interested in the little intricate details of photoshopping and how particular these editors are when they craft images that appeal to our understandings of beauty? I present you with this lovely little series of photos that show requests as detailed as “remove stretch marks from breast,” “remove pubic hair stubble,” “soften nipples” and – strangely enough – “slim belly.”

The photos contained within this link are not safe for work environments.

Perhaps it will show that society critiques every woman to an obviously unnatural standard – soften nipples? – and that’ll help us remember that this is why we shouldn’t aim to achieve society’s standard of beauty.

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6 comments

monton April 1, 2011 - 5:34 PM

Hey Erika,
I just wanted to let you know that the link just directs to a site with no specific article.
Could you let me know what to search for, so the article comes up? Or post another link to it?

Erika Nicole Kendall April 1, 2011 - 6:48 PM

Sure! You’re looking for “How Your Playboy Centerfold Sausage Is Made.”

Rachael April 1, 2011 - 5:50 PM

WOWZERS!! #thatisall..

Daphne April 1, 2011 - 10:17 PM

Interesting link, and sad. The comments were interesting as well, as it seemed that one of the first comments inadvertently validated the madness that is “beauty.”

What I found particularly interesting is that this has been going on since the at least the early 90s. No wonder so many of us are messed up about our bodies.

Tamikka April 19, 2011 - 9:45 AM

I haven’t clicked on this to see the pictures yet, but this article touches on something I noticed today. I was at the market and looked at the news stand. There was Jillian Micheals, from the Biggest Loser, on a cover of SHAPE magazine. I was horrified at how they’d airbrushed out all of her muscles. What is the true focus of the magazine when they airbrush out her life’s work, HERSELF?

Mishala June 24, 2013 - 4:57 PM

Wow, that was just terrible. I hate how they dissect every single aspect of a woman. And for what? I doubt anyone flipping the pages is going to go “Nah, next nudie. Her pores look like craters”. It’s crazy.

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