Should Fashion use ‘Organic Images’?

The ethical issues of retouching have been discussed at least since the 1930s, when George Hurrell manipulated characteristics of Hollywood actresses in photographs to make them into icons of glamour. But technology has changed the scope of the debate, fueling a long-held criticism that magazines are promoting an unattainable standard of beauty. Recently, Lindbergh stirred the pot by creating a series of covers for French Elle that showed stars like Monica Bellucci, Eva Herzigova and Sophie Marceau without makeup or retouching.

French Elle has decided to shoot a non-photoshopped front cover. The cover star is actress and model Monica Bellucci who can be seen posing in a Christian Dior jumper. But not only has she not been photoshopped, but she isn’t apparently wearing any make up too. Nope, not even a little bit they say, she really is that beautiful. Editor in chief Isabelle Maury asked Peter Lindergh to photograph Monica and seven other famous women and somehow he managed to convince them all to pose without their mascara. Faces in the April 2009 issue of Elle Magazine (French Edition) Eva Herzigova, Charlotte Rampling and Sophie Marceau all au natural. In a bizarre ritual, they had their hair and make-up done and then removed the make-up before the shoot, this was according to Lindbergh the key to their glowing . ‘Stars without make up’ contains 11 black and white photos over 16 pages. This is a positive step forward. And look how beautiful Monica Bellucci looks. It just goes to show that excessive airbrushing is so unnecessary. 'Organic Models' and 'Organic Images' show real beauty!

It really struck a nerve, especially at a time when French health authorities there are looking at making images that have been manipulated in magazines note what the changes are. Believe it or not this magazine has some of the top models on the cover with no makeup and it claims no photoshop or air brushing touch ups were done. Though when I look at the pictures they do look like they have some makeup on. Not very much, just enough to look “natural”. Of course, perfect lighting helps, too. Model Herzigova, 36, and actresses Marceau, 42, and Bellucci, 44, all look refreshingly natural, relaxed, and vulnerable in a way American stars are seldom seen. These are not 18 year old models either! Now, of course they have a natural beauty to them. You know the kind. The ones who look great when they first get out of bed in the morning.  It’s as close to natural that I’ve seen in fashion magazines so far, however. It is so refreshing to see this and I wish more magazines would do more of this. The follow on affect of all the photoshop work and retouching is wide and spread. The same ‘no photoshop’ debate is now raging among wedding and portrait photographers. Fashion sets the bar for beauty and women who are photographed by professionals have the expectation that their skin will be clear and creamy, their teeth will be white and their perceived bodily flaws will be erased. They’re not simply looking for documentation of their day, however lovely, but an idealized version. Given their experience with retouched media photographs, you can hardly blame them. It’s all they’ve really been exposed to and photos of themselves that are not retouched, amplify the differences they see between themselves and the celebrities/models they see daily. It’s time to introduce ‘Organic Images’ to the world of Fashion, and its related industries. What are ‘Organic Images’? These are images where the model hasn’t had any retouching work done that affects that actual physical attributes of the model. That said, we aren’t talking about removing creative license, it more about the industry having creative responsibility. Many people believe that the fashion industry and the media cause a huge amount of pressure to be piled on the shoulders of young women. I’d agree with that. Everywhere we look, there they are… so why not promote ‘Organic Images’?

Back in 2007 there was controversy over the above cover of Redbook with Faith Hill.