entertainment

We can't decide if this Photoshop protest is brilliant or bitchy.

We all know that ridiculously over-the-top retouching of images has become the norm.

Photos of celebrities no longer resemble the actual celebrities. Legs are stretched, waistline slimmed, faces brightened, eyes coloured, hair smoothed and so-called ‘imperfections’ eliminated.

And finally it seems that the world is wising up to the power of Photoshop, the excessive make up routines and carefully crafted lighting that makes celebrities looks so fabulous. We’re realising that none of the pictures we see are real and we’re demanding better.

One person who is determined to see a change is Danny Evans. He started the ‘Celebrity Make Under’ more than 7 years ago as he tried to show people that the cult of celebrity beauty is very much an illusion. He created these photographs, that make some of the most famous, glamorous and beautiful people in the world look, well, ordinary.

Take a look:

Yep, that’s mega-star and goddess Beyonce and her rapper husband Jay Z. And the beautiful, elegant Gwyneth Paltrow. Then comes pop singer Rhianna and costume chameleon Lady Gaga.

All looking like people you’d see at the supermarket.

There’s something refreshing about seeing celebrities looking like normal people. It relieves some of the intense pressure that women feel to look ‘perfect’ all the time, when you realise that even the ‘perfect’ people require the help of Photoshop, make-up and lighting to look that good.

But.

It’s also a bit mean. Taking people’s images and photoshopping them onto the bodies of the less glamorous. There is something cruel there. Why do we need to make other people look worse in order to feel better about ourselves? Is that fair or right?

We’re torn so we’re handing the editorial reigns over to you. Are these protest images brilliant or just bitchy?