'Perfection' on a page

It's amazing how unrealistic the contents of women's magazines can be and yet have readers unwittingly believe the veracity of the articles and authenticity of the images presented. I say "unwittingly" because many times, the woman poring over the pages may be quite level-headed in general and yet unconsciously subscribe to the subtle standard that, say, "slim" equals "beauty" or a woman without stick-straight hair is "not good enough," or sexual attraction is the determinant for a potential relationship's success, or that being over a certain age means diminished worth as a person.

These standards, mind you, aren't necessarily stated flat-out; they could be effectively implied by way of photos and illustrations, whether it's an ad for some new line of lip color or an upbeat illustration accompanying an essay on the "absurdity of monogamy." Or a publicity photo showing the totally with-it and carefree-looking Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha with a brazen caption like "The world still can't get enough of New York's ultra-chic fab four." Never mind if the captions, stories and images are slightly inaccurate or downright erroneous; what matters in the end is that readers believe them.

Well, not everyone is taken for a ride, fortunately. Here's a short and entertaining blog entry called My Wrinkles that'll make you go "yeah, she's right!" (if you're a woman) or "huh? do women think that way?" (if you're a man). A chunk of it:

When I close the magazine, instead of feeling empowered, I feel diminished. I stare in the mirror (another meaningful use of my time) and count the flaws. Then I'm usually overwhelmed by an urge to go shopping. But I'm confused: which product do I use when? Can I use them all simultaneously? Should I stick with one brand or be a savvy shopper and buy only the recommended products from each company?

And Modestly Yours' take on the matter of women's magazines and the misleading material they dish out is in this blog entry called Are You Normal? A preview:

Whenever I look at one of these magazines I have to remind myself that magazine makers are not in the business of selling happiness: they are, in a sense, in the business of selling unhappiness. If they can make you feel dissatisfied with your lover or your lipstick (or yourself), then they can hook you on their own prescriptions -- or subscriptions, as the case may be.

You can leaf through the next magazine you get your hands on and again end up feeling too fat, too curly-haired, hopeless, clueless about your love life, confused and basically inadequate in every little thing you can think of.

Or click on the two links I gave you and be wiser.

Or, you can check out a third link (this one) and see a sample of how a model's photo is retouched and transformed to look "perfect" when she appears on the magazine pages. Talk about the partnership between digital magic and fixation on appearance.