Reality vs. Technology

The other day I watched a video that showed just how much the human face and body can be retouched by technology and it really made me think.  Currently, I am not super happy with my physical appearance. Because of the holidays, stress, money issues and what not, my health and appearance has somewhat been put on the back burner.  I was thinking today that even if I wasn't working on my appearance and health, I would not want to be misrepresented even if it meant me looking "better."  That probably doesn't make sense but I wouldn't to ever look like something I'm not. 

It brings me back to when I was in high school and I wore color enhancing contacts.  People would say, "Wow, your eyes are so pretty . . . is that your real color?"  It was always such a bummer to say, "No, I wear contacts."  After hearing that same thing quite a few times I thought it wasn't worth hearing the compliment and that I would rather hear that about my eyes in their natural state.  I quit wearing the contacts and though I hear it less, I love hearing, "You have pretty eyes" now a lot more!

I decided to do a little experiment today (I have A LOT of time on my hands) and retouch a photo of my wedding day.  Here are a few things you should now about this experiment.  1.  The "natural" picture is about as natural as you can get.  I am wearing more eye makeup than normal, but I told my makeup artist that I wanted to look natural and not like I was wearing a ton of makeup.  2. The app I used on my phone is FREE.  I want to stress this point because if I can retouch my face like I did on a FREE app, think about how much people can do to celebrities with software that you have to pay for.  3.  I am as clueless and as much of a beginner as you can be when it comes to editing a photo and retouching a photo so again, IMAGINE how much a PROFESSIONAL can do to a photo.

I'm all for looking your best and feeling your best, but where do we draw the line.  I draw the line at surgeries and software.  I love to see people sans makeup, with their hair a mess, and just the way they were made.  My favorite look on myself is the straight out of bed look.  I lived in a college dorm with a BUNCH of girls who were all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and who were very low maintenance to very high maintenance and I can honestly say, they looked the best when they were walking to the bathroom in the morning after first waking up and when they were walking around the floor in a robe after just getting out of the shower.  Natural.

Be you.  Wear makeup if you want to wear makeup.  I wear mascara and foundation on the reg. Feel your best.  But, don't forget how beautiful you are naturally.  And, when you are looking at people in magazines or on the internet, don't forget about the technology that is out there to make them look the way they do and try not to compare yourself to anyone. 

Here is the photo I retouched.  I slimmed my face, made my teeth whiter, added eyeliner, changed my lashes, added blush, added eyeshadow, enhanced my nose, lifted my cheeks, softened my skin, and brightened my skin . . . with a free app as a clueless editor. 

Xoxo,

Nicole