A Model of Beauty

Have you ever gazed enviously (or longingly) at the model in a magazine and thought, “Wow I wish I looked like her!” Well, I've got news for you, so does she. I work for a company that hires models on a regular basis and they are gorgeous! Genetic freaks that are almost 6' tall, weigh in the neighborhood of 120, have 24” waists, natural C-cups and don't look overly thin or bony. They were at the front of the line (twice!) when God was handing out genetic blessings. But, even with all of that going for them, we still do a shocking amount of Photoshopping to their pictures – and that's AFTER we've had them professionally coiffed, made-up, dressed and spray tanned. With the whisk of a Photoshop tool, we thin the model's thighs, trim her waist, whiten her teeth, smooth her crow's-feet, thicken her hair and even out her spray-tanned skin tone. She already has living Barbie Doll proportions that we make even more pronounced. Advertisements are selling a fairy tale. They imply that you, too, could look this good if you just buy their product …. and have a team office professionals make you over, take your picture and touch it up extensively. These models already have virtually unattainable beauty and proportions. Why would we take the virtually unattainable and make it physically impossible? Does it motivate anyone to strive for those standards? Or does it just make women feel badly about themselves and make men want something that doesn't exist anywhere but the pages of a magazine?