Thanks to the advent of image editing software, anyone can now look like a supermodel or at least look like one in their photos with a little help from a talented photoshopper.
In 2011, director Tim Piper made the "Body Evolution" video that showed just how effective Photoshop is in manipulating images. The time-lapse video showed how his model wife, Gifford Piper, was transformed from her original appearance to a cover-ready figure with thinner nose, longer neck and flatter stomach. The video went viral and even prompted a social media debate on how the media unfairly manipulate images.
For its annual holiday greeting, a Colorado-based advertising agency, Victors & Spoils, has now decided to put its own spin on the viral video. The ad agency gave Gifford Piper a "seasonally" appropriate makeover. The agency's digital makeover may not be as flattering as the one Tim Piper gave his wife, but it can be as equally shocking, if not amusing.
"Ad agencies go to disturbing lengths to create the perfect image," the agency wrote in their video (see below). "Guess we're no different,"
In the time-lapse clip, Victors & Spoils shows how they added hundreds of pounds to Gifford Piper's stomach, arms and legs and shortened her petite frame to make her look more stocky. The agency also gave the model facial wrinkles, pale skin, spectacles and gray curly hair transforming her into an iconic figure of Christmas, Santa Claus.
In the original video (see below), Piper's stomach was made flatter. Her arms, legs and neck were also made longer and slimmer. Her lips, nose and face likewise got the digital airbrush treatment.
The Body Evolution video was created by Global Democracy to demand mandatory disclaimers on all photos of airbrushed models.
Airbrushed ads have been getting the flak of some consumers. A commentary on the original Gifford Piper video said that while agencies have the right to Photoshop people, it's deceptive and wrong. 'You're creating a false image of beauty, you're also making people feel fat, including skinny people that can't compete with the Photoshop image."
