What The Fake

Photographs are in everything from advertisments, to newspapers and magazines, to pacakging and promotional material. Every picture that we see on a day to day basis has been retouched. Every picture has been worked on some 20 to 30 rounds of going back and fourth between the retouchers and the client, says photo retoucher Ken Harris in an interview with New York Times, They are perfected to death...All that is there to alter your mind, to alter your perception of what physical beauty is. Many times Magazine covers and advertisement images consist of a number of different photographs that are combined to create the perfect image. Models themselves do not even measure up to their own images. This has put such a strain on models that sometimes photo retouching is used to add Furthermore, photo retouchers are not credited for their work in the magazines which only furthers the confusion over what is real in photographs.

Retouched images have had an enormously negative impact on our society. While image manipulation is mainly used to sell us products, it also encourages dangerous social sterotypes. These images promote negative body images and eating distorters among teens and young adults. 70 percent of girls report that images of models in magazines influence their definition of a perfect female body. A university of missouri study showed that looking at women's magazines for 1-3 minutes had a negative impact on a woman's self esteem. But we see anywhere between 1,600 to 2,500 images everyday, so images the impact. Retouched photos are also promote perfect beauty, skin, and hair that is not obtainable, leading to massive over-spending on consumer products that do not deliver the results they promise.

Additionally, constant exposure to images of perfect and beautiful women is having a negative impact on the men who view them, increasing their desire for women who are largely unobtainable. One study found that men viewing pictures of attractive women weakens their commitment to their mates and rated themselves as less in love with their partners because being bombarded with visions of beautiful women distorts mens perception of the pool of possibilities. These images of beautiful women have cause men to have unusually high expectations of attractiveness of women, which makes the real people the men are surrounded by seem not as attractive, even if they are very good-looking. Perfect beauty can only be achieved with an airbrush.

Information From Demo, NYTimes, Diet Blog

70 percent of girls report that images of models in magazines influence their definition of a perfect female body.

90 percent of white teenage girls are dissatisfied with their body image.

80% of the foods found in a typical American supermarket contain at least one ingredient created from genetically engineered crops.

53% of Americans will not buy food that has been genetically modified or engineered.

The FDA does not want a labeling system for GM food becasue the labeling system would get in the way of GM farmers buisness.

When the state of Oregon attempted to pass a bill this past November requiring all genetically altered food in the state to be labeled, the FDA sent a threatening letter to Oregon's Governor stating that the measure "would impermissibly interfere with manufacturers' ability to market their products on a nationwide basis."

Hogs and cattle will not eat their rations when GMO crops are included in the feed.