Kate Winslet Says No to Retouching

Oscar-winning Kate Winslet is one of the most vocal celebrities when it comes to issues of appearance and the emphasis the media places on looking in a certain way. Often speaking out against the size 0 trend, in the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar, the actress lashes out against a very common practice in Hollywood, that of massively retouching movie posters and magazine spreads.

Beauty does and should always come from within, the “Reader” star says. Beauty, most importantly, is not to be standardized and debased with these practices that also end up deceiving audiences into believing that the reality is what they see on paper. Because of this, Winslet tells Harper’s, she often insists with movie producers to allow her to have wrinkles in promotional posters because that’s who she is and that’s how she should look.

“I have wrinkles here [on my forehead], which are very evident.” Winslet says. Still, just because she has them does not mean she has to be massively retouched in movie posters until she can hardly recognize herself. “I will particularly say when I look at movie posters: ‘You guys have airbrushed my forehead. Please can you change it back?’ I’d rather be the woman they’re saying ‘She’s looking older’ than ‘She’s looking stoned’.” the actress explains.

However, being against retouching does not mean Kate does nothing to look good. As a matter of fact, in previous interviews, she tried to make female readers understand that, even when there was no image enhancement, she still looked good because of tricks like good lighting and amazing makeup. She is and will remain a regular-looking woman who has had the chance to afford things other normal women can’t, Kate often says. Moreover, the beauty label that’s often stuck on her is something she can’t quite understand, since that’s not how she sees herself.

Being approached by Lancome for an endorsement deal was the biggest surprise of her life because of this, Kate tells the mag. “I really thought, me? Seriously. Because I think what you feel like as a teenager never really goes away. If you were teased for being fat or thin or having bad teeth, you’re always insecure about that particular area of yourself. So I’ve never thought of myself as any kind of beauty, iconic or otherwise.” the star adds.