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  • Essay / Reality Distortion - Photo Manipulation in Advertising

    Manipulation in photo editing uses tactics to deceive the audience of a given photograph. Editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, is used by artists to provide the tools necessary to exploit the image to develop specific messages. The resulting photograph is different from the original. The photograph is digitally manipulated. However, more often than not, the editing goes unnoticed by the target audience. Advertising montage contributes to fueling gender stereotypes. Manipulative editing in photography reinforces gender stereotypes conveyed in American culture. The use of photo manipulation has been around for as long as the camera has existed. The use of photo manipulation creates the basis for a subjective opinion that reflects the targeted photograph. For example, in 2003, without permission from Apple Records and Paul McCartney, American poster distribution companies airbrushed the cigarette from Paul McCartney's hand on a promotional poster. Distributors may have felt that the presence of the cigarette sent a negative message to younger fans, even though the poster's subject, McCartney himself, appeared to have no problem smoking in public. In this case, manipulative editing led poster distributors to impose their own moral code on viewers, rather than allowing the public to decide for themselves what they thought of the original image, without distorting its reality . Photography uses manipulation towards a specific target. The public creates controversy between what is real and what is not. Journalism is known for its manipulation that questions what exists and what does not exist. Also, the questions asked may ask to what extent can journalism...in the middle of the newspaper...isn't there a man she can win over. One might automatically feel the need to wear Old Spice by thinking that women prefer men with Old Spice deodorant. Most photographs are also about creating gender stereotypes creating gender codes. Take for example an ad from AMI Clubwear. The photograph shows six distinct sexual women in posture. Their breasts easily pop out of the pink mini skirt with their matching pink high heels. Photography shows that to look and feel sexy, you have to wear what they wear. Which is almost nothing. However, we can also notice that everyone is thin and has shaved legs. The advertisement creates an unreal female posture to attract the attention of both men and women. Body posture shows the incredible unrealistic crises of becoming beautiful. The cityscape in the foreground gives the impression that to be beautiful you have to come from the city.