In senior writer and editor at NEWSWEEK Jessica Bennett’s article “Picture Perfect” (http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/05/01/picture-perfect.html), she addresses the issue of retouching photos as well as the effects it is having on our society. She strongly opposes to the extreme retouching being done for ads, magazines, and now even everyday life for many reasons, one being that it is making women feel more and more uncomfortable about their natural bodies and at even younger ages.
Although the media does not see a problem with their retouching I agree with Bennett. I believe that the photos they are retouching are making women feel as if something is wrong with their bodies because they never seem to measure up to the women in the media. It is becoming increasingly problematic because technology is making it easy enough for average people to do at home with their personal cameras. It is teaching younger generations that they need to look a certain way that is unrealistic and they are using the cameras to buy into the idea that beauty is a one size fits all category. I think that magazines should use airbrushing and retouching only to clear blemishes and not to make women look unreal. I found all of the research and information that Bennet presented to be very interesting and found that I agree with her views. I think that any women who is struggling with their appearance should read Bennett’s blog.
Never Perfect: Pressures of the Media on Women 
I completely agree that media airbrushes their models way too much. Not only does it make girls feel like they are not as pretty as the girls in the magazines, but everyone feels they need to photoshop their own photos before showing them to the public. For example, everyone photoshops all their pictures before making a new album on Facebook, because they wouldn’t want to look “fat” or “ugly”. Media needs to keep the models looking more natural, so that we don’t have this expectation to look like something that doesn’t exist.
After seeing the picture above, I was shocked at how much retouching was used on Beyoncé, and to think that this is only one example. I can just imagine so many other photos where celebrities are so retouched that they are often unrecognizable. Although, I may agree that retouching is very helpful when it comes to blemishes, I always get frustrated when the entertainment business depend so much on artificial beauty. I myself must admit that seeing these perfect and polished faces and bodies on magazines keeps a toll on my self-confidence. Someone has to stand up for what’s right and force the media to change.
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