14 DAY TRIAL // The cover of the current issue of Self magazine shows, as it’s already known, a photo of a gorgeous Kelly Clarkson looking at least several pounds thinner than she is in real life. While magazine staff continue to defend the policy of photoshopping photos of celebrities to present an idealized image of them, Kelly herself reveals to have had a shock when she first saw the issue, the Examiner informs.
According to the original American Idol, as she’s often dubbed in the media, she did not know that Self did not want her to appear on the cover as she was, despite the fact that the article accompanying the photospread talks of Kelly being a role model for having embraced her weight and, at the same time, a very healthy lifestyle. While the piece in question talks of acceptance and beauty outside industry standards, the photo shows that, in fact, those standards still apply because Clarkson clearly did not fit them and had to have her image altered.
“The whole airbrushing thing has gone crazy.” the singer says for Britain’s Heat magazine, as cited by the Examiner. Speaking strictly of the Self cover, Kelly admits even she had some trouble recognizing the woman shown there. “I was like, ‘Who is that on the cover of the magazine?’ They were obviously not happy with what I look like. I’m not being mean about myself, but I just found it funny. I think it’s just one of those things that people have got so used to doing that they don’t even think twice about it.” she adds.
As we were also telling you just recently, Self editors defended the photo in question by saying that it was never meant to be “realistic” in the first place, no matter what the article said or did not say. Apparently, women don’t want to see reality when they open a beauty magazine, they expect an idealized image of a real person. While Kelly Clarkson certainly looks her best now, what the magazine did to her photo was nothing but emphasize that, editors said, much to the outrage of their readers and Clarkson’s fans.
“We allow the postproduction process to happen, where we mark up the photograph to correct any awkward wrinkles in the blouse, flyaway hair and other things that might detract from the beauty of the shot. This is art, creativity and collaboration. It’s not, as in a news photograph, journalism. It is, however, meant to inspire women to want to be their best. That is the point... Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best. Did we publish an act of fiction? No. Not unless you think all photos are that. But in the sense that Kelly is the picture of confidence, and she truly is, then I think this photo is the truest we have ever put out there on the newsstand.” Editor-in-Chief Lucy Danziger was saying at the time.