People have always been intrigued by visuals. The human eye picks up pictures faster than written words. That is why you always see pictures in advertisements. It’s simple: you see and you take action. However, that idea has changed the way we see things. We are living in a world of unrealistic images.

Photo manipulation makes us see what we would rather see. It makes the subject or product seem more appealing and attractive, therefore making us want what is being promoted. This whole idea started the internet trend “Expectation vs. Reality.”

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Because of these visuals, people believe that they have to live up to certain expectations. One of the biggest problems with photo editing is in the fashion industry. Most ads you see have attractive models wearing their clothing. For example, if their models don’t look “skinny enough,” their clothes might not look as appealing to the viewer. Seeing what companies call “true beauty” has led to a lot of body shaming throughout humanity.

There are many photo editing programs for the public to use, Photoshop and Lightroom being the most popular. Now that photography has evolved to cell phones, people have access to photo manipulation anywhere they go. Even their devices have editing applications to download that give you tools to alter your appearance (teeth whitening, eye brightening, warping, pimple remover, and skin softening).

This technology basically allows us to alter anything into anything. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but the real question is: How far is too far? Take this video of someone making a model into a pizza for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnvoz91k8hc