Photoshop and body image

This week, we took Wood Sprite to her first photography class. She had a wonderful time exploring the park with her camera and now wants to do it regularly! She also took still photos, learned some tips and even photo shopped a picture she took of an acorn on a tree. The contrast was incredible and I cannot wait to see the result—her teacher is emailing the photos to us.

At the end of class, her teacher showed a quick video about how Photoshop is used to manipulate the body for magazines, movies and other media. It’s a pretty famous and well-shared video, but if you haven’t yet, please take the time to share it with your family. It is so important for people to know that the images we see are not how real bodies look—and that it is impossible to truly achieve these unnatural bodies. Like Sprite’s teacher told her class, Photoshop is fun, but it can also have some negative impacts on our culture.

After watching the video, Wood Sprite said loudly, “Never change for any boy!” I grinned as the other moms chimed in, “Yes!” We have had discussions about everything from makeup to plastic surgery—many of them prompted from radio announcements and doctor’s office magazines—and I love that she has developed this “never change for anyone” attitude. I only hope that it sticks as adolescence soon sets in and she naturally begins to notice more about her body—as well as the bodies of others.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia