Kate Winslet (airbrushed) on the cover of Vanity Fair
Kate Winslet is one of my all-time girl crushes, and I think you can see why here in the December issue of Vanity Fair. The Great Kate channels Catherine Deneuve in a stunning photoshoot that is coming under lots of fire by critics claiming Kate has been airbrushed to high heaven. (Kate, by the way, denies the claims, having publicly chastised GQ in the past for digitally–and unnecessarily–slimming her.)
Guess what? Every single magazine cover you will ever see is airbrushed. Period. End of story. All of them. Moles are wiped away, skintone is corrected, undereye circles vanish, and, most disgustingly, limbs are often slimmed, because God forbid an actress should look like she weighs more than 105 pounds. It’s gross, but it’s nothing new. So why are the media outlets suddenly gasping in Shock! and Confusion! over this magazine cover? Could it be because, historically, Kate Winslet has been seen as a “chubby” actress, and for her to look gorgeous (and, yes, slender, though not unrealistically so) in a magazine means it must be 100% illusion? Come on! The whole industry is an illusion: the hair, the makeup, the body sheen, the military precision of the poses, the expensive clothes, the flattering lighting. The only image below that rubs me the wrong way is that of Kate in a black dress on the floor; her arms, legs and hips do, indeed, look altered, but how am I to know? Maybe Kate’s been spending time at the gym. Maybe it’s all lighting, shadows and Spanx. Or, maybe, Kate Winslet’s body is none of my damn business, and I can stick to admiring her because she’s talented as they come, and absolutely stunning…at any size.
Tags: Catherine Deneuve, Kate Winslet, MEDIA MANIPULATION, Vanity Fair
November 4th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
very well said jolie
November 4th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I agree…she is looking very 1990’s Madonna in that one shot which is kind of cool actually. But honestly it is none of my business how or why she looks the way she does. The photos look hot and they will sell magazines and that is after all the entire point isn’t it/
October 6th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Geez, she looks gorgeous. I never saw these pics. So true about all the airbrushing and such. Why the hell are they choosing to pick on her when everyone else is airbrushed to high heaven and then some? Ridic.
November 8th, 2009 at 3:37 am
This is what our industry is made of - illusions that cause aspiration, disgust and desire. I love fashion for it and can do without it at others. Re: The black dress, she worked her ass off to look like that. And then they airbushed the nudes.