Stretching the truth

The Gothamist spotted this huge bit of digital manipulation, which no doubt helped to fat shame women even more than it already does.

It shows Mad Men bombshell Christina Hendricks at Sunday's Golden Globes.

On the right, the original. On the left, as published.

Everybody knows Hendricks' globes and everything else about her are golden. She works them all as part of her role on the incredibly successful series about the ad bizz in the 1960s.

But in this big fat lie of a photo -- Gothamist has a screen grab of the original -- she's distorted, ostensibly to make the writer's point that Hendricks made a fashion faux pas:

... pretty Christina Hendricks in Christian Siriano’s exploding ruffle dress. (As one stylist said, 'You don’t put a big girl in a big dress.')"

Now, if this was performed by some celebrity trash tab or bitchy gossip site, it would be one thing. But no. It was in the New York Times.

All the news re-sized to print.

H/T Dammit Janet!

UPPITY WOMAN DATE: One of my Tweeps suggested this may have been the result of some clumsy page lay-out. Maybe. A very interesting one, no?

Digital scale

Via the New York Times' health blog:

What is the fastest way to lose weight? Try getting a cover shoot for a magazine.

The Web site Jezebel.com this week offers a “Photoshop of Horrors,” identifying the 15 most “egregious” examples of digital retouching of photographs on magazine covers. Not surprisingly, many of the photos involve making already slim women look even slimmer.

I've posted a few over the past couple of years, as you can see here.

But Jezebel has the whole hall of shame, at least those that were glaringly obvious.

The worst? Pop star Kelly Clarkson on the cover of the September issue of Self, which isn't even a fashion magazine really but more about health and fitness.

In explaining the obvious fakeover, Self's editor would later blog (I added the boldface):

Kelly has this amazing spirit, the kind of joie de vivre that certain people possess that makes you want to stand closer to them, hoping that you can learn what they know. In this case, you get the feeling Kelly has not let fame spoil her, but also that she was just born confident, with a generosity of spirit that is all about others and rarely about herself. She is, like her music, giving and strong and confident and full of gusto. Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best. Did we publish an act of fiction? No. Not unless you think all photos are that. But in the sense that Kelly is the picture of confidence, and she truly is, then I think this photo is the truest we have ever put out there on the newsstand.

Right.

Can you see the cover line at the top right of the issue?

Stay true to you and everyone else will love you too.

Unh-hunh.

No wonder so many girls are so screwed up.

Hip Hip ... Hunh?

What's wrong with this picture?

Now it's not enough that Demi Moore hasn't had who knows how much cosmetic surgery, probably works her buns of steel off at the gym, eats nothing and is naturally gorgeous to begin with. Oh no. Not good enough. Not for the fashion world which is making women insane with self-hatred.

You'd think they'd be more skilled with the computer knife though, no?

Hot wax

Well, I suppose this was inevitable.

Guess who.