Reality, Retouched

I believe this image (and especially the mouse-over that goes with it) should be seen by every anorexic person.

The camera club I belong to calls this a "cool site," consisting of a series of professional photographs and mouse-overs that reveal their original, unretouched versions. Brian Dilg's work illustrates some stunning digital magic, which is what drew the camera club president's attention.

Dilg writes, "This image for Bravo's Project Runway involved a lot of changes to the set, replacing the head on the woman at the back, lots of cosmetic skin work that won't be apparent in this little JPEG, and of course plenty of digital flattery. All par for the retouching world these days."

I saw the Project Runway shot and immediately thought of anorexics whose body image is so harshly driven by retouched photos. Even if they know the photos are altered, the images are still pervasive and persuasive. Dilg shows the true "before" picture.

Here's to reality.

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