Photoshop Check

Over the past year I started to get real with photographers I was working with.  After every shoot, I would tell them politely, "Retouching is fine, but please do not alter my figure because I have an ass and to take it away is just false advertising.  Thanks."  

I know quite a few models and actors have come forward about their retouching and how their magazine cover isn't actually how they look.  I really do applaud them for doing so because it is quite a brave thing to tell the world.  So we know that in the world of Hollywood this all goes on, but women and young girls addicted to social media should also be aware of how common it is online.  A lot of the photos you will see on Instagram and Pinterest are photo shopped.  A lot of reality stars retouch their seemingly candid images and literally reshape their bodies.  

From my years of being in front of the camera, it did chip away at my confidence levels because I would try so hard to attain this perfect figure for shoots.  Only to have it altered anyways, as if it's just not good enough.  When it clicked for me that it was a very unhealthy mentality, I forced myself to look at my unedited pictures and love what I saw.  Once I was able to accept my hip dips and muscular legs, pride in my figure set in.  Telling photographers not to touch my body in editing made me feel strong because I knew that I was being respected on a different level.  

These examples are slight, but you can see the resizing and smoothing my physical shape.  This is absolutely nothing against these photographers as they are both wonderful and talented people! This is just the simplicity of how much can be changed and still have it look so natural.  Let's not beat ourselves up ladies!