Unfiltered and Unapologetic: 5 Celebrities Who Are Done With Magazines Air Brushing Them.
Ever looked at a glossy magazine cover and wondered, "Why don't I look like that?" Well, guess what? Even the celebrities on the covers don't look like that.
And it's not me saying this but the celebrities themselves. So, grab yourself a cup of tea, make yourself comfortable, and let's reveal the truth behind those ‘flawless’ magazine covers and seemingly perfect Instagram shots, shall we?
Here's our list of five fabulous celebrities who have decided to say no to unrealistic beauty standards and have spoken out against the industry's incessant need to airbrush their pictures.
Actress and activist Jameela Jamil has been vocal in her stance that airbrushing should be illegal, describing it as a harmful act against women that's directly associated with mental health problems such as eating disorders.
Known for her role in the acclaimed TV show The Good Place, Jamil has written about the dangers of airbrushing as part of the BBC 100 Women series, driving loud conversation around this issue.
She's consistently promoted body positivity, even launching the "I Weigh" movement earlier in the year to instill a sense of self-worth based on individual achievements and personality traits, rather than physical appearance.
Jamil elucidates that airbrushing is so ingrained in contemporary society that its impact on culture is often overlooked.
“I think it’s a disgusting tool that has been weaponised, predominantly against women, and is responsible for so many more problems than we realise because we are blinded by the media, our culture and our society. “I suffered from eating disorders as a teenager and so I know how damaging “perfect” images in magazines can be.”- Jameela Jamil
According to Jamil, the intentional looming air of 'perfection' is a marketing black hole, designed to convince consumers that such perfection can be achieved.
Her advocacy stems from a personal place, with Jamil herself having experienced body insecurities and battles with eating disorders during her teenage years, deeply understanding the impact 'perfect' airbrushed images can have on the impressionable young crowd.
Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes
Riverdale stars, Lili Reinhard and Camila Mendes, are well-recognised in the body positivity sphere. You can imagine their disappointment at discovering the heavy photo editing of their images for the cover of Cosmopolitan's Philippines edition was not surprising. Both Camila and Lili openly criticised the magazine's decision and shared their views on the non-usage of Photoshop.
“I think Lili and I were the most shocked — we were the most shocked about the fact that they would [do that] knowing how much we speak about body positivity to our fans, and how much we love to talk about that.
That they would then manipulate our bodies when we are literally preaching body positivity is so personally insulting, and it’s also insulting to the readers.
You’re spreading a false message about what people look like, you know? If my waist was that slim then great, do whatever you want, but it’s not!” Camila Mendes X People Magazine.
"Camila and I have put in tremendous efforts to feel self-assured about our bodies, which can be a daily struggle. And seeing our bodies so misrepresented in an editing process perfectly embodies the hurdles we still need to overcome." - Lili reinhart
Mendes, who was featured on the cover of the March 2018 issue of Cosmopolitan Philippines, reflected on the incident in her personal Instagram story too.
And I’m so happy with the way that I am and I don’t think that was necessary. It’s never necessary to change your body. People know what I look like, I take photos on my own and I don’t edit them so people know. Stop trying to lie to people, you know? - Camila Mendez
Zendaya, the star of 'Euphoria' and 'Spider-Man', is another celebrity who's not a fan of the airbrushing. After a magazine excessively edited her photos, she took to social media to call them out, urging them to appreciate natural beauty. YES girl!
"Had a new shoot come out today and was shocked when I found my 19 year old hips and torso quite manipulated. These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have. Anyone who knows who I am knows I stand for honest and pure self love. So I took it upon myself to release the real pic (right side) and I love it.” - Zendaya
The message? Be proud of your body, just the way it is.
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o, the acclaimed actress, publicly protested against image manipulation when she noticed an oddity in her feature on the Grazia UK cover. The magazine had digitally altered her natural hair, giving it a seemingly smoother look, rather than portraying her bun hairstyle. Taking it to Instagram, she expressed deep discontentment towards Grazia for amending her image to align with their preconceived notions of 'beautiful hair'.
"As I have made clear so often in the past with every fiber of my being, I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful, too. Being featured on the cover of a magazine fulfills me as it is an opportunity to show other dark, kinky-haired people, and particularly our children, that they are beautiful just the way they are...Had I been consulted, I would have explained that I cannot support or condone the omission of what is my native heritage with the intention that they appreciate that there is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women's complexion, hair style and texture." - Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita relayed this heartfelt sentiment on Instagram. The magazine later made amends by issuing an apology.
Kate Winslet proudly make-up free for an adored L’Oreal commercial
Lastly, we have the ever-graceful Kate Winslet. As someone who's been in the limelight for decades, Winslet knows the pressures of looking 'perfect'. But she's not having any of it. She even had a 'no retouching' clause added to her contract with a major cosmetics brand.
"I can only ever speak for myself and I can only ever do things that are important to me and it's a hope that other people might follow suit but it does feel important to me because I do think we have a responsibility to the younger generation of women," she shares, hoping others in hollywood will follow suit against photo editing.
Now, that's a role model.
bottom line
So next time you compare yourself to a picture-perfect celebrity, remember this: even they don't look like that. It's high time we embraced our natural beauty and celebrated our imperfections. After all, it's these quirks and so-called 'flaws' that make us unique!
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