Dove takes you behind the scenes of the war on women's self esteem

BAG News Notes has a post up about a Dove commercial called "Evolution" in which an average-looking model is converted into billboard candy through make-up, lighting, and Photoshop. I think everyone realizes that models in ads are "airbrushed" (although actual airbrushes have gone the way of the proportion wheel) but I bet not a lot of people realize how radically they get rearranged on the digital surgeon's table.

This is nothing new to me; my years of watching images get retouched to perfection at Rolling Stone taught me to doubt any image I saw in print. One of the most egregious examples was a 1995 cover shoot of Demi Moore by Matthew Rolston. Rolston directed all the post-production himself, and delivered a preternaturally smooth, strangely skinny Demi effigy. I have a copy of the pre-retouched contact at home; I'll post it later for a little compare-and-contrast.

Dove Evolution image borrowed from BAG News Notes. RS cover borrowed from RS Online... Nice dithering, guys.

Comments

[Attila Csordas]

Rolling Wired Stone: oh, that trendy tech magazine? I've heard about it.
http://pimm.wordpress.com/2006/11/26/weekend-off-valley-brats-in-rolling-stones-tech-issue/

[Krzysztof Hejduk]

Excellent article. Interesting subject.