For my pop culture moment I was inspired by a post by Meghan Trainor. In this, she posted about an instance where she was edited in one of her music videos. She posted an edited version alongside the unedited version. I created my art based on the edited version which they made Meghan appear impossibly thin and curvy with hair that is flowing perfectly.
I chose this pop culture moment because it really highlights the issue of body manipulation in the media. This shows how normalized this has become, even for celebrities that advocate for body-positivity. Seeing an artist like Meghan Trainor, who has made a career on confidence and self-love, have her body altered without her consent really shocked me. This is a reminder that no one is immune to the pressures of beauty standards.
It is overwhelming in today's world the manipulated images on social media. It has become increasingly challenging to distinguish between what is real and what is fake. This can be detrimental to individual's mental health, particularly in young people. The normalization of photo editing leads to an impossible standard for beauty often leading to insecurity. Additionally, constant exposure to these edited images fuels consumerism and pushes people to spend more on products, procedures, and filters.
The future of photo-editing is uncertain. There are constant technological advances, allowing editing to become more seamless. However, there is also a growing pushback against this digital deception. As people become more aware of the impact of edited images, there may be greater transparency in the media from celebrities and influencers. Will we reach a point of collective rejection of artificial images and perfection or will we continue to believe and chase such illusions?