Lights, Camera, Photoshop: Beauty extends beyond a jar for cosmetics

lights-camera-photoshop-beauty-extends-beyond-a-jar-for-cosmeticsWhat signifies real beauty? A few posts ago, I exposed the lunacy behind the concept of purchasing<a href=http://blog.containerandpackaging.com/2011/11/power-of-dna-in-jar-for-cosmetics.html> the promise of youth in a jar for cosmetics</a>. Merely grazing the surface, the bulk of this issue has yet to be explored. Take sixty seconds and witness the sham that is commercial beauty (aka, beauty as we know it). How is beauty recognized? Most of us live according to a socially constructed definition of what is beautiful. Flawless skin and long, luxurious locks provide a worthy canvas, but vibrant eyes and symmetrical features garner extra points for the glossy, pretty-faced models displayed on magazine covers. Therein lays the problem, comparing our appearances to dubious editorials that promote naturally, unreachable beauty. Take note of three enhancements that every beauty product (whether it be packaged in a jar for cosmetics or otherwise) advertisement has at its disposal that everyday people have to live without. Lighting The photo you see on a jar for cosmetics or on a product ad will not translate to a real life appearance, first and foremost due to light. The difference is night and day. If you've spent your life trying to recreate the look of a cover model it's time to give up the dream. Either that, or start carrying some fill lights around everywhere you go. And not to dissuade you but, that might be interpreted as a bit grandiose. To put it simply, when it comes to beauty photography, natural lighting ain't got nothing on fluorescence. A hair and makeup team It's every woman's dream, right? Who wouldn't want to be gorgeous beyond description, without the slightest energy output? It takes a team (meaning multiple individuals, not one person, no matter how many talents and life callings you have!) of professionals to primp, gloss and curl the subject of any beauty or fashion photo shoot featuring a cutting-edge product packaged in a jar for cosmetics. Cosmetologists have an upper-hand on the rest of the population, but underneath all of the makeup and digitally instilled lacquer, we've all got a similar facial foundation. The miracle (or curse) of Photoshop The clincher of the beauty advertisement analysis is that the person who is photographed, to be displayed on a jar for cosmetics, isn't the same individual who appears on the finished product. Digital programs like Photoshop have enabled images to be beautified beyond reality in a seamless and almost unrecognizable manner. Suddenly we've confused our power to visually enhance photos with realistic expectations for the appearance of ourselves and others. Dove for real beauty: The proof behind the lights, makeup and retouch The beauty and cosmetic brand, Dove, created a short film, <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U>Evolution</a>, that visually illustrates each of the above points. Take a quick look at this one minute video to see all the elements, or pieces of the beautiful lie, come together. It's become commonplace to joke about photo-shopping candid photos if one friend's nose looks too big or if someone is having a bad hair day. But things have quickly become all too serious with photographers offering retouched photo packages of kindergarteners. Of course Susie won't want to be remembered at five years old with a small gash over her left eye (or for the absent-minded cause of the injury, falling from a tree limb, trying to save her doll), that's so not cute. It's better that she always see herself as flawless, even if that image doesn't match reality, right? I sure don't think so. Were you shocked or disturbed by the Evolution footage? Post a comment and tell us what you think.