Doutzen Kroes without airbrushing? Still hot. Victoria's Secret is under fire for retouching the daylights out of her following the leak of original pics of the model.
When comparing the before-and-after photos above, you'll see that more than just the brightness has been adjusted. Skin folds on her stomach and side? Gone.
You'll also see wrinkles and bulging under her left shoulder, frown lines between her eyebrows. small scars on her right thigh, even birthmarks on her stomach and cleavage.
Not to mention flesh-colored underwear beneath her bikini bottom.
All these things have been altered to achieve the final "perfect" image of Victoria's Secret's Harlow Push-Up Halter Top and Forever Sexy Matching Bottoms.
Do the bikini photos present a completely unrealistic message? Absolutely.
But should anyone expect otherwise, or care? That's the real question here.
Some Victoria's Secret models themselves say their ads are "pure fantasy."
"Retouching is an essential part of our job, you know," Erin Heatherton said.
"We're not selling reality; we're selling a story. It's all about creating fantasy. I don't think people should confuse fantasy and reality because no one is perfect," she said.
"We all know that, and I think people should embrace themselves and not really focus on where people are depicted as perfect and where they're not."
Heatherton says it's up to scrutinizing individuals to understand the difference between what women really look like and an airbrushed image in an ad.
When it comes to how these photos affect body image, Erin, a fellow VS Angel with Kroes, strongly that this issue should be discussed in schools and at home.
She said children and adults need to establish their own self worth, and realize that published images are enhanced, "just like special effects added to a movie."
Heatherton's perspective is both candid and on point. Don't you agree?
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