Informative Speech On The Effects Of Photoshopping

1936 Words8 Pages
Purpose Statement: To inform my audience of the ethics of digital manipulation by means of Photoshop and to explore the effects Photoshop retouching has on social perceptions of body image norms and self-esteem, eating disorders, ageism, and racism. Introduction I. No wonder the perception of beauty and authenticity is distorted. In movies, advertisements, TV shows, and magazines, we, as in society are constantly exposed to images digitally manipulated through programs such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Waists become narrower, pores and wrinkles seem to disappear, breasts are enhanced, and sometimes even skin color is changed. As William J. Mitchell points out in his book, The Reconfigured Eye, Visual Truth in the Post-Photographic Era, “we are experiencing a paradigm shift in how we define the nature of a photograph. The Photograph is no longer a fixed image; it has become a watery mix of moveable pixels and this is changing how we perceive what a photograph is. The bottom line being that the human digitally altered is no longer human rather an unrealistic ideal, like a Greek statue” (Mitchell, 2011). II. Although it can be expected that with the constant discovery of cutting-edge technology, advertising is bound to utilize these latest technologies in order to create a ‘perfect’ image to sell a product. However, the deadly combination of advertising and Photoshopping (digital enhancement), can lead to serious consequences in the impressionable young, as well as promote messages of racial injustice and disrespect. III. My interest in the ethics of digital manipulation began in high school when I was enrolled in a Computer Graphics class that primarily focused on the application of Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator; realized the extent of how easy and cheap it was to digitally alter a photo IV. I would like to explain three significant aspects
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