When social media first took off, it promised to break down barriers between celebrities and us mere mortals.
Forget the stage-managed shoots of celebrities of the past. Instead Instagram, twitter and Facebook were supposed to give us an intimate and unvarnished glimpse into celebrities’ everyday lives.
Suddenly instead of simply seeing A-listers on the red carpet, we could see them, make-up-free, as they primped and prepared for the big event. We could see inside their bathrooms, inside their parties – and inside their lives.
But with time, celebrities’ supposedly casual Instagram shots have become increasingly polished. They have hired social media experts to manage their online profiles and send their tweets. And surprise surprise, they’ve started “perfecting” their snaps before they’re posted, whether it’s a full-scale retouch or with one of those handy apps.
Yet we still get shocked by it.
Most recently it’s Mariah Carey, who – newly-single from a high-profile break up – wants to look her best and gave herself a little spruce-up before pressing ‘post’. Countless media outlets have pointed out the telltale signs of photoshopping in an image snapped from her Thanksgiving celebrations over the weekend.
Heck, who out there can say they haven’t at least used a filter? I know people who photoshop all their photos on social media before they post them and they’re not exactly Mariah-famous. And there are countless bloggers who have come out admitting that their images are highly-edited, despite building a brand on their “realness”.
Sometimes we all just want to look our best. So let’s just stop acting surprised, stop judging each other and instead double tap some more love around.
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