Melissa McCarthy received a new glossy face and a slimmer figure in a U.K. poster for her upcoming flick, The Heat. From Prince William’s computer-enhanced head of hair to Kate Winslet’s unnaturally thin body, see more examples of extreme celebrity Photoshopping.
The Heat, the latest female-centric comedy from Bridesmaids mastermind Paul Feig, hits U.S. theatres on June 28. But in the U.K., one version of a poster for the film, which stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, features a more alternative version of McCarthy than audiences might recognize. Given a slimmer neck and face, a different eye color, and glossy, airbrushed features, the poster makes the actress appear significantly altered. But this isn’t the first time the actress’s image was tweaked: In 2011, the poster for Bridesmaids, featured the former Gilmore Girls actress noticably slimmer.
Either Kate Middleton has ditched her beloved High Street fashion—or her royal head’s been Photoshopped onto somebody else’s body. Ever since her wedding to Prince William, the young royal has been branded a fashion icon, but she has yet to grant any fashion magazine a photo shoot—so what’s a magazine editor to do? Marie Claire South Africa decided, for its August issue, to leave the matter in its readers’ hands. A Photoshopped fan art tribute to the Duchess of Cambridge made the cover of the issue with the headline “Kate Middleton: Fashion’s New Royal Icon Wears SA’s Best Local Designs”—and an asterisked disclaimer: “Of course she doesn’t. But she should.” We’re not sure which is more alarming: Kate’s displaced head or the headlines that surround her (“My Husband Makes Millions From His Infidelity Website”; “Real Life: God Called Me on YouTube”).
Unlike his wife, Prince William’s not afraid to pose for magazine cameras. On the cover of a March 2010 issue of Hello! magazine, he flashed a wry smile in jeans and a polo shirt—but it was his oddly dark full head of hair that got the most attention. Though the prince is only 30, his hairline has famously been following in his father Prince Charles’s (receding) footsteps for years. But since a balding head isn’t exactly ideal for a magazine cover model, the photo editors of Hello! took matters into their own hands and spruced up William’s hair with some Photoshop magic. It’s a good look for the prince—we just take issue with the cover story’s headline: “The Real William.”
Britain banned two L’Oréal ads featuring Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington for being so airbrushed they could mislead customers. From Beyoncé’s lighter skin to Kim Kardashian’s airbrushed abs, see photos of other extreme retouching.
MORE FROM NEWSWEEK—Interactive: See How the Retouchers did it
Talk about extreme: A British advertising regulatory group was reportedly so outraged over the retouching in two L'Oréal cosmetics ads that they were subsequently banned. The group said the ads, which feature Julia Roberts for Lancome and Christy Turlington for Maybelline, were misleading because the photos had been so altered. Lancome defended the retouching, saying Roberts’ image was an “aspirational picture” and the digital enhancement was not “directly relevant” to what the product means to achieve. Maybelline, meanwhile, insisted the ad was accurate about what its foundation could achieve. British politician Jo Swinson called for the ban, saying it would “send a powerful message to advertisers—let’s get back to reality.”
In January 2003, 27-year-old actress Kate Winslet was livid over a slimmed-down image of her already-long legs and board-flat stomach on the cover of British GQ. Winslet called the retouching “excessive”—noting that “I do not look like that, and more importantly, I don’t desire to look like that.” Not that that mattered to GQ. Said editor Dylan Jones: “We do that for everyone, whether they are a size six or a size 12.”
The former Sports Illustrated model was so outraged at an Estée Lauder ad that she says Photoshopped her image to make her look older that she sued the company for $2 million. The ad was for Plantscription, an "anti-aging serum" for women over 45—but Forsling is a mere 35. She’s claiming that the enhancement—or, in her view, degradation—has irreparably damaged her career. She says she never used the product and it's deceptive advertising.
Right: FilmMagic / Getty Images
No, Katie Couric didn’t discover a miracle diet. But over a four-month period in 2006, as the anchor prepared to take over the CBS Evening News, it suddenly appeared as if the 53-year-old had shrunk to a third of her body weight. The photo at left, snapped in May, was widely circulated to the media as an official CBS publicity shot. Then, in September, a slimmed-down Couric, her face and waistline radically trimmed, appeared in CBS’s in-house magazine, Watch! When the media picked up on the alteration, the network said the retouching job had been the work of an “overzealous” employee. Couric, meanwhile, said she liked the original better. “There’s more of me to love,” she joked.
“So what: I have a little cellulite. What curvy girl doesn’t!?” That was Kim Kardashian’s response to an unretouched image of her that was mistakenly posted on Complex magazine’s website in May 2009. The snapshot—which was quickly replaced by the Photoshopped version—showed that her waist had been cinched, her thighs slimmed, and her cellulite removed.
Skin bleaching has long been a controversial topic, so when Beyoncé appeared several shades lighter than usual in a L’Oréal ad in 2008, it sparked an uproar. There have been many shades of Beyoncé in photographs and ad campaigns, as evidenced by (from left) a 2008 L’Oréad, a 2007 cover shot from Joy magazine, and a 2009 image on the cover of Russian Glamour.
This magazine ad for Ralph Lauren, which spurred protests outside Lauren’s Manhattan headquarters in 2009, features 23-year-old model Filippa Hamilton looking positively nonhuman. At 5 feet 8 and 120 pounds, Hamilton (pictured on the runway at right) later said that the brand—which ultimately apologized for the image—had quietly fired her for being overweight.
Right: Randy Brooke, WireImage / Getty Images
Kelly Clarkson looks trim and adorable in this September issue of Self—under the headline “Total Body Confidence”—except that her “confident” body has been digitally slimmed down. (The image at left was taken around the same time as her magazine shoot.) Two Self editors explained that the cover was not “journalism,” but “meant to inspire women who want to be their best.” Some message.
Right: Scott Gries / AP Photo
Redbook couldn’t have been pleased when an unretouched image of Faith Hill, featured on the magazine’s July 2007 cover, was leaked to the bloggers at Jezebel. In annotated before-and-after shots, the bloggers pinpointed 11 digital alterations the already picture-perfect Hill underwent before she hit newsstands—next to a cover line teasing to “56 ways to unleash your sexy side.” (Do 55 of them involve airbrushing?) Redbook was accused of contributing to an unattainable body ideal, but editor Stacy Morrison said the picture was “completely in line with industry standards.”
jezebel.com
Men's Fitness wants to know: How do you build big arms in five easy moves? When it comes to Andy Roddick, apparently the answer has more to do with Photoshop than tennis. After posing for this shot in early 2007, the tennis superstar reportedly did a double take when he saw the magazine while walking through a Rome airport—noting that his biceps had been blown into “22-inch guns” and a prominent birthmark on his right arm had been removed. And while a Men's Fitness spokesman responded to the scandal by saying he didn’t see “the big issue,” Roddick joked that he was “pretty sure I’m not as fit as the [cover] suggests.” Does Hulk Hogan want his arms back?
Right: Getty Images
Demi Moore has long seemed to elude age, while denying that plastic surgery has had anything to do with it. But when the 47-year-old mom appeared on the cover of W magazine in November 2009, her image sparked widespread discussion. The magazine was adamant that photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot did nothing “unusual or out of the ordinary on Demi Moore,” but many commentators noted that the huge chunk missing from her hip implies otherwise.
MORE FROM NEWSWEEK—Interactive: See How the Retouchers did it
