The general population is well aware of the magic of the Photoshop, as well as the role that it plays in fashion and beauty marketing. Even when the model in a photograph looks incredibly stunning already, companies never fail to use the photo editing program to further enhance the lighting, the person’s figure or face, and even the clothes and makeup. Sometimes it even ends up looking inhuman and alien-like. However, The Globe and Mail reports that firms like Unilever’s Dove, has cleverly criticized this beauty industry norm to help advertise its own products. Using ads that show the drastic effects of Photoshop, as well as ads that show that women don’t need these enhancements and are beautiful in their real skin, has drawn much of the public’s attention to its marketing strategy. For example, the video below is one of Dove’s most famous ones:

DOVE “Evolution” from David Hayman on Vimeo.
Modern technology is amazing, isn’t it? I personally love these commercials, not only because it is an ingenious tactic, but also because it sends the right message to women out there, who are constantly being pressured to be skinnier and more “flawless” than possible. These Dove commercials illustrate that beauty standards are too exaggerated because of makeup and technology, and that the problem lies not within the individual, but within society’s perceptions. Many famous celebrities have even commented on the effects of Photoshop in their own personal experiences. A notable example is Jennifer Lawrence, who recently commented at the Oscars on her digitally retouched photos from her Dior campaign, declaring, “That doesn’t look like me at all…[o]f course it’s Photoshop. People don’t look like that.”

Photo credits to Huffington Post.

Perhaps it is time that fashion and beauty companies reconsider its marketing strategies and tone down the amount of photo editing used in the future. While the effects may be amazing, most of what the public typically receives are feelings of incompetence and low self-esteem.