Teacher notes:
Provide these photos from above to your students. All four of these photos are photos that have clearly been Photoshop-ed and also air brushed. The students are going to depict what the editors have changed in these photos and try and understand exactly why they have done this. This is a lesson plain that is aimed at helping improve students self-esteem and understand no one is perfect, not even the celebrities.
The following questions are to be asked to the students prior to this activity:
Q: Do you feel like you have to look a certain way?
A: Yes, hair color, skin color, and body shape.
Q: Do you think we should all have the same bodies? Why do you feel this way?
A: Yes because we are all shown that we should have this certain body because that's what the celebrities look like.
Q: What do you know about pictures people place on the front of magazines?
A: They are of famous people. They always look perfect.
Q: How do you feel about yourself when see advertisements of famous people that look like they don't have any imperfections?
A: Puts pressure on us to feel like we need to be perfect like them.
After Previewing Photos Questions:
Q: How do you think media depicts an ideal body image?
A: Skinny, perfect skin, and hairless
Q: How do we know that Photoshop was used in these photos?
A: For the first female photo: she is skinnier, her skin is tightened and she is darker.
For the second female photo: her skin is lightened up, blemishes are gone, and her hair color is enhanced.
For the first male photo: He is given more muscles, his facial and body hair is removed, and he is also darker.
Second male photo: Hair is removed all over
Q: How is editing used in these photos?
A: Colors are enhanced, facial features are sharpened.
Q: Who might use this type of media that is Photoshop-edited?
A: Advertisers and possible skin care promoters.
Q: How does this media depict what is good and bad?
A: Shows we should all have darker complexions, be skinny, not have body hair.
Q: What type of message is being sent through these photos that relate to people in the real World?
A: We should all be perfect. "flawless"
Q: If these photos of before and after Photoshop were shown publicly, what type of responses might we get?
A: People would realize that we all have flaws, we are not all perfect, and that in advertising Photoshop is used to make these people look perfect.
Q: How does this make you feel that images we see in advertising are altered completely?
A: This upsets me because we are trying to live up to these fake images. It is tearing individuals down.
Q: How do you think people would feel if more images like the images on the left were in advertisements?
A: This might make people feel better about themselves.
Q: How are your views changed on this "ideal body image" our society has created?
A: Nobody has this ideal body image.
Q: Will you remember that images in advertisements are always edited when worrying if you look like the people on the advertisements? A: Yes, I now know that every image is edited and that is not real.
Provide these photos from above to your students. All four of these photos are photos that have clearly been Photoshop-ed and also air brushed. The students are going to depict what the editors have changed in these photos and try and understand exactly why they have done this. This is a lesson plain that is aimed at helping improve students self-esteem and understand no one is perfect, not even the celebrities.
The following questions are to be asked to the students prior to this activity:
Q: Do you feel like you have to look a certain way?
A: Yes, hair color, skin color, and body shape.
Q: Do you think we should all have the same bodies? Why do you feel this way?
A: Yes because we are all shown that we should have this certain body because that's what the celebrities look like.
Q: What do you know about pictures people place on the front of magazines?
A: They are of famous people. They always look perfect.
Q: How do you feel about yourself when see advertisements of famous people that look like they don't have any imperfections?
A: Puts pressure on us to feel like we need to be perfect like them.
After Previewing Photos Questions:
Q: How do you think media depicts an ideal body image?
A: Skinny, perfect skin, and hairless
Q: How do we know that Photoshop was used in these photos?
A: For the first female photo: she is skinnier, her skin is tightened and she is darker.
For the second female photo: her skin is lightened up, blemishes are gone, and her hair color is enhanced.
For the first male photo: He is given more muscles, his facial and body hair is removed, and he is also darker.
Second male photo: Hair is removed all over
Q: How is editing used in these photos?
A: Colors are enhanced, facial features are sharpened.
Q: Who might use this type of media that is Photoshop-edited?
A: Advertisers and possible skin care promoters.
Q: How does this media depict what is good and bad?
A: Shows we should all have darker complexions, be skinny, not have body hair.
Q: What type of message is being sent through these photos that relate to people in the real World?
A: We should all be perfect. "flawless"
Q: If these photos of before and after Photoshop were shown publicly, what type of responses might we get?
A: People would realize that we all have flaws, we are not all perfect, and that in advertising Photoshop is used to make these people look perfect.
Q: How does this make you feel that images we see in advertising are altered completely?
A: This upsets me because we are trying to live up to these fake images. It is tearing individuals down.
Q: How do you think people would feel if more images like the images on the left were in advertisements?
A: This might make people feel better about themselves.
Q: How are your views changed on this "ideal body image" our society has created?
A: Nobody has this ideal body image.
Q: Will you remember that images in advertisements are always edited when worrying if you look like the people on the advertisements? A: Yes, I now know that every image is edited and that is not real.