In her article On Photography, Susan Sontag states that photographs “do not seem to be statements about the world so much as pieces of it” and also describes them as “experience captured” (2). Whether it be an interesting cloud, a beautiful landscape, or a fun moment with those around you, photographs are meant to capture the world as it is, its natural beauty. However, with the emergence of social media, less emphasis has been placed on natural beauty and more on acquiring perfection. Social media culture has created pressure to only post pictures that are “aesthetically pleasing” or that “match your feed.” But sometimes you only realize after a moment has passed that your image isn’t picture perfect. That interesting cloud you saw may have an unappealing colored sky, that beautiful landscape has a person blocking a part of it, and the fun moment may be ruined when you dislike your physical appearance. The only way to make imperfect pictures social media worthy would be to edit them. Sontag mentions the notion that photographs can alter reality when she writes that they “get reduced, blown up, cropped, retouched, doctored, tricked out” (2). From editing lighting to body shape, “Photoshopping” has become a common practice and many celebrities or influencers have been exposed for “Photoshop fails”.
One recent example of a “Photoshop fail” is LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, or @livvydunne. She’s become a Sports Illustrated model, gained some of the biggest NIL deals, and has a large social media presence because of her gymnastics talent and physical appearance. However, fans and followers have recently noticed large discrepancies between her Instagram posts and stock photos of her. In this picture, the most prominent differences are the size of her torso and her jawline. She’s shown to have edited gymnastics action shots and red carpet pictures and has been publicly criticized for editing when she already fits the “beauty standard” and for the negative impact this has had for other women with more athletic, muscular builds.
Instances like this have created a lot of insecurity for social media users, feeling the need to compare themselves with popular creators even if they can’t tell what is real and what is edited. This relates to the issue Elena Martinique brings up in her article “When Staged Photography Becomes Art” of if staged photography “would result in an ethical as well as an aesthetic crisis” and “photography’s loss of credibility”. Can edited photographs still be considered art? If so, should there be editing rules or an editing limit? If we “cite” an editing platform as a resource used does that make it morally correct? While I think these are all important issues to address, the bigger issue is social media culture. Platforms created with artistic purposes have turned into mathematical equations. What do I post to gain the most likes and followers, how do I get more users to interact with my profile, all of this effort just to see a number increase. The amount of likes or followers you have should never be an indication of self-worth. Social media was created to inspire and share creativity, but instead it has become a popularity contest where we must create illusions of perfect realities in order to win.
I think you propose an interesting question about the credibility of edited photographs. I think that’s a complicated answer, but in the culture of social media edited photos shouldn’t be considered credible. People change the way they look for the wrong intentions. Otherwise, edited photos are their own form of art.
I find your perspective about body image to be very interesting, especially about the ethical part of your argument. I agree that there is a question of ethics that plays when it comes to photoshopping bodies. With these influencers conveying themselves to be perfect looking it creates an issue for the viewers believing that these unattainable proportions are what one should achieve.