14 DAY TRIAL // That's one way of making sure you're always picture-perfect. Lady Gaga is reportedly launching herself in a campaign to enhance her looks in the media and we're not talking about doing charity work, we're talking about photoshopping pics.
Page Six claims that Lady Gaga's people have actually made an agreement with photographers covering an event to get the photos from them for final approval before any of them were released. Believe it or not, but the photographers agreed.
That means that Gaga is not really as long-legged and smooth-skinned as depicted in the photos from the event. One insider claims that they were told to “Smooth out her jaw line and thin her arm,” as well as “Smooth out and thin her legs.”
The event organizer also spoke in confidentiality with the magazine and confessed that photographers complained to him that Gaga was “a control freak.” And if you're thinking that this is all just made up stuff to make Gaga look bad, think again.
One of the photographers present at the event, Kevin Mazur, a man who works for Wireimage/Getty, and who had exclusive rights to shoot her during her Roseland performance, confirms that he retouched the images that were then sent to Gaga's management for final approval.
How's that for press neutrality? The photographer also gave specific details as to what exactly he modifies in the photos. These things include removing a drop of sweat, an errant lock of hair, or a shiny patch on the forehead.
This particular bit of news is oddly reminiscent of the story involving Beyonce last year, when her camp demanded photo agencies take down some unflattering photos of the singer during a performance. Needless to say, that didn't happen, and all that did was attract the public's attention to the photos in question.
However, this report does offer an interesting insight into the workings of today's entertainment media that is struggling to control every aspect of an artist's exposure. It also leads to some introspection when viewing photos that hit the web or printed media. You just don't know what to believe anymore.
Meanwhile, Gaga keeps strict control over her public image, despite the fact that the racy ensembles in which she parades around town every day would lead you to think that she just doesn't care about looks, but the reality is quite the opposite.
This story could lead to a very interesting debate about how much today's media has changed our perception about beauty and famous people. It is really that bad if your favorite pop star is shown sweaty in photos taken during a concert? Are we that gullible to think that these people don't have bodily functions?