5. Digital Imagery has had many positive effects on
society; however, an issue that is still prominent
today is the way digital imagery has affected the way
people define beauty. Women are constantly trying
to measure up to a certain ideal of beauty and it can
be hard and almost difficult to keep up. The
technology used to beautify women in the media is
only getting better, so are the digital and make up
artists. On the other hand, the average woman is
feeling the pressure and either struggling to accept
her body image as is or is investing time, energy, and
money in maintaing the defined idea of beauty.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
has a center dedicated to women's health and one of
the areas they focus on is body image [1]. According
the website, "women are constantly bombarded
with "Barbie Doll-like" images. By presenting an ideal
that is so difficult to achieve and maintain, the
cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of
growth and profits. It's no accident that youth is
increasingly promoted, along with thinness, as an
essential criterion of beauty. The message we're
hearing is either "all women need to lose weight" or
that the natural aging process is a "disastrous" fate."
Digital imagery as used to portray women in media
affects not only how women view themselves, but
also how men view women.
Women have played a central role in
advertisements for decades. In 1885, W. Duke
& Sons included trading cards with sexually
provocative women in their cigarette
packaging. This led Duke to become the
leading cigarette brand by 1890 [3]. A century
later, this trend has continued, raising a need
for awareness from groups such as the
National Organization for Women. A more
recent article from USA Today talks about KFC
attempt at selling its new sanwich [2].
According to USA Today, KFC recruited female
college students to carry advertisements on
their buttocks to promote their new "Double
Down" sandwiches. KFC marketing chief John
Cywinski says it's an effective way to catch the
attention of young men (Horovitz)."
The ad industry has turned women into
objects with little differentiating
characteristics from the items being
advertised. A lot of advertisements today are
rampant with sexually suggestive themes
depicting women alongside products
yearning to be sold. More than often, women
in advertisements have no particular
connection to the product being advertised.
The woman serves as a product herself to
attract the attention of the potential
customer.
One would wonder why the women in
magazines and advertisements look so
flawless. These women often seem to have
little to no physical "imperfection"--with
perfect skin, hair, breasts, lips, eyes, teeth,
buttocks, and etc. The women happen to
be the few percentage of the world's
female population meeting the standards
for beauty as defined by society, and
portraye by media. Thanks to the wonderful
skills of photographers, make up artists,
graphic artists, and software applications
for providing airbrushing techniques that
makes such "beauty" possible.
DigitalAirbrushing involves using a
software tool to edit any "imperfections" or
unwanted objects out of an image.
As an article in the popular UK-based
newspaper, The Independent, put it, “In the
end, whether we understand – or indeed
trust – the mindset behind photographic
post-production, the fact remains that
almost every image in glossy magazines,
billboard campaigns and newspapers is
doctored in some fashion before it reaches
print [4].”
People Magazine Beautiful People of 2007 [1] Burger King ad [2] Airbrushed image by Glenn Feron [3]
Digital Imagery as a Material of Interaction Design
Beauty.
6. [1] Sherly Nields. "People Magazine 2007 Most Beautiful People: Scarlett Johansson." Online image. People Magazine. Icon
International. 1.17.2011. <http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20193583_20036560,00.html>.
[2] Lucas Zaiden. "Check our new chicken salads." Online image. Ads of the World. Shutterstock. 1.17.2011.
<http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/burger_king_light?size=_original>.
[3] Gleen Ferron. "The Art of Retouching." Online image. Glenn C. Ferron Portfolio Site. 1.17.2011.
<http://www.glennferon.com/images/Ads/margkingblue.jpg>.
[1] "Body Image: Loving Yourself Inside and Out." Women's Health Information Center. Office on Women's Health in the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services., 22 Sept. 2009. Web. 17
Jan. 2011. <http://www.womenshealth.gov/bodyimage>.
[2] Horovitz, Bruce. "KFC Pays College Women for Ad Space on Buns." USA Today. USA Today Magazine., 22 Sept. 2010.
Web. 17 Jan. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-09-22-kfc22_ST_N.htm>.
[3] Porter, Patrick G. "Advertising in the Early Cigarette Industry: W. Duke, Sons & Company in Durham," The North Carolina
Historical Review v. 47, no 1 (January 1971).
[4] Walker, Esther. "Pixel Perfect: Why You Shouldn't Believe Your Eyes When It Comes to Those Glossy Images." The Inde-
pendent. 16 May 2008. Web. 16 Jan. 2011. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/pixel-perfect-why-
you-shouldnt-believe-your-eyes-when-it-comes-to-those-glossy-images-829196.html>.
images
text
7. The Presentation of Self.
Digital Imagery as Social Mechanism
Our faces represent us in ways our names or other physical attributes can not. Our faces give us
life. Our faces make us human. Both machine and humans recognize us by our faces. And it is
through our faces we see the world around us and experience life; making us the unique
individuals we are.
image taken by Pascal Lola. 03.06.2011. Bloomington, IN
8. image taken by Shad Gross. 04.11.2011. Bloomington, IN
Self Portraits & Identity in the Digital Age
This is a portrait of me clothed in electronic artifacts.This image metaphorically represets both my
love for technology and my dependence on it. Each one of these items plays an important role in
my life, some more critical than others.
My Relationship With Technology.
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