A 7 MINUTE READ.
Before & after, including skin retouching and colour grading. Thanks to model Alexiya (@_alexiya_ on Instagram), for giving me permission to use this before and after for this post. Photo by JAKIRA.
In an age where photo-manipulating apps, such as Facetune, are a staple in the average social media user’s mobile phone, I think it’s important to discuss the potential detrimental impact that having the access to such facilities may have, especially on young people. As a portrait photographer who retouches skin during their editing process, but also someone who is a strong believer in embracing one’s natural beauty, there comes a time when I have to step back from my editing software and ask myself: am I contradicting my morals?
For those who may not be familiar with what retouching is, it is essentially the process of improving or repairing an image by making slight additions or alterations. This process includes skin retouching, colour-grading, removing flyaways or distracting objects from the background and so much more but in this post, we will be focusing on skin retouching. Skin retouching is the process of “cleaning up the skin” by correcting the colours of the skin, making them blend seamlessly into each other and removing blemishes, all whilst aiming to preserve the skin’s natural texture and the subject’s unique features (such as moles.) For most retouchers, the goal is for the final image to look natural and as though it has not been altered in any way.
I came across a post in a Portrait Photography group on Facebook, which was the inspiration for this post. The caption of the post read: “Before and After. This is just to practice retouching.” with 2 images attached – the first was the ‘before’ and the other was the ‘after’. To my understanding, the original image did not belong to the author of the post; they were practising on an image from a shoot that they were not involved in. The original image showed the model with severe cystic acne and hyperpigmentation on the lower cheek area and in the retouched image, the acne was completely removed. Upon first glance at this post, I knew the comment section was going to be interesting, to say the least.
This particular Facebook group has hundreds of thousands of members so the post generated a myriad of comments from various users, all weighing in on the situation. On one side were those praising the retoucher, saying “[the retoucher did a] great job in covering the acne!” and “I’ve never had a client with acne who didn’t want me to retouch their skin.” Whereas, on the other side were users who argued that “[retouching the model’s acne] might not have been what the model wanted”, as the author of the post did not seem to be the owner of the image or have any relationship to the model to be able to determine their wishes. Another user stated that “young people are comparing themselves to this perfection, [retouching is] contributing to the illusion of perfection,” and the statement that stood out the most “retouching is unethical.”
One user who, like the model in the photo, suffers from severe cystic acne said: “I think there’s a difference between the toxic culture of making celebrities appear flawless and, therefore, making others feel bad for not living up to it, and allowing someone who struggles [with acne] the opportunity to see themselves without their struggle” and attached a photo of their (unaltered) face underneath their comment. As some who also suffers from acne, I could really appreciate this user’s insightful comment, as well as their bravery to post an unedited photo of their skin. For many years, I was under the impression that celebrities who would feature in magazines actually looked the way that they appeared in those images; it wasn’t until I learned what retouching is, and the endless capabilities that Photoshop has to offer, that this all changed. With celebrity status comes the ridiculous responsibility to maintain appearances at all times, so retouching images of celebrities is a given. However, as celebrities are role models for so many people, namely young people, I do believe that retouchers should be more cautious of the extent to which they retouch.
Photographer and YouTuber, Jessica Kobeissi, has a series on Youtube called “Photographer Exposes Instagram vs. Reality” where she takes a look at photos of celebrities that have been manipulated in some way and shares the ways to identify when photo-manipulation has taken place. I don’t believe in “photoshop-shaming” and condemning people for their use of retouching so I really appreciate Jessica’s approach when discussing these photos, as it is done to educate and not to be malicious. Celebrities are known to manipulate their photos and often deny doing so, which I think is a huge part of the problem. I think that if celebrities were more open about when Photoshop is present in a photo, this would help those who struggle with how they view themselves to understand that even those whom we deem as “perfect”, aren’t as perfect as they may seem in photos.
According to a study, carried out in 2020 by phone case company, Case24, 81% of Instagram users living in London will not post a photo to Instagram without editing the image in some way beforehand. The study also showed that 71% of those people use Facetune when touching up their photos. Facetune is known, almost exclusively, for its photo-manipulating capabilities and with the app being readily available to users from the mere age of 4 years, it isn’t difficult to understand why we are seeing an increase in mental health issues in young people.
So, is retouching unethical? Honestly, I don’t know. I thought I would be able to come to a conclusion, at least for myself, by the time I finished writing this but it’s far too complex of a question to be answered in a blog post written by someone who is not an expert in philosophy. As a photographer and retoucher, I would say that it is a matter of what the photographer’s style is and what their clientele are hoping to get from them; as long as the client gives their consent for the photographer/retoucher to retouch their skin, and specifies to which extent they would like this to be done, then I’d say that it’s OK. When retouching beyond correcting the colours of the skin comes into play, such as manipulating the body using warping tools, this is when the lines start to become blurred (pun intended.)
In regards to the post from the Facebook group, some photographers release their RAW images online for beginner retouchers to practice retouching the images; I’m hoping that this was the case here and the retoucher in question received the permission to retouch and post these images. The only issue is whether or not the model has given their permission for an image of them to be shared and retouched by others, but it is a professional photographer’s job to receive the permission to share a model’s likeness.
I do believe that, in some cases, retouching can be used to an extent that is detrimental to the person(s) in the photo, as well as the viewers. Khloé Kardashian, someone who I believe may have dysmorphic views of her appearance, is a prime example of this. Although the other Kardashian-Jenners have been known to manipulate their photos, Khloé tends to be the main target of criticism from internet users for her excessive use of Facetune. In August of last year, Khloé posted a set of photos to Instagram that sparked outrage from users of the app. In the photos, Khloé’s face was heavily manipulated to the point that people believed she was “unrecognisable.” One user, who is also a fan of Khloé, said “She is naturally gorgeous, which is why it’s a shame that she feels the need to heavily Photoshop herself.” The fan also went on to say that Khloé sets “unrealistic expectations for her young followers which she can’t even meet, herself.” I don’t follow Khloé on Instagram, or any of the Kardashian-Jenners, solely because I feel that they are contributing to a warped sense of reality that is becoming extremely familiar on the image-sharing app.
We must be cognisant of how our retouched images can be perceived, especially by young people, and be more open about when skin retouching has taken place. I don’t think it’s something that should necessarily become a part of the school curriculum but I think it’s important for young people to be able to identify when an image has been manipulated, as to not compare themselves to something that is unrealistic or unattainable.
What is your opinion on retouching? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading!
Stay safe,
JK ♡