life & style // 14 Behind the brush » Is airbrushing hiding too much of the real story? Sophie Isbister Life & Style Editor Mlifeandstyle @theotherpress.ca issing arms. Carved out waists. Stretched faces. These are all hallmarks of a culture obsessed with too much airbrushing. Do models in magazines even look like people anymore? With the butter-smooth skin and eerily bright eyes, they look more like Battlestar Galactica’s creepy evil Cylons than real live women trying to sell us stuff. And it seems like everyone is aware of how rampant of a phenomenon it really is. Every woman knows to take an ad for skin lotion with an ample grain of salt; indeed, how could a company purport to sell a product to make your skin look skin has been digitally altered into perfection? It’s a terrible message to send to youth, and Douglas College philosophy student Lucas Atchison agrees. He told the Other Press that he thinks picture, you're seeing what the media wants you to see. It’s not : who people truly are,” he says. Atchison adds, “Women are objectified, told to meet : this standard, [and] it’s never : enough. A lot of women harm : themselves trying to meet this : expectation.” Things like Dove's : Campaign for Real Beauty are : astep in the right direction to : combat impossible realities : portrayed by print media. But : airbrushing is always going to : happen, big or small. Recently, : there was a media explosion : surrounding indie television star : : Lena Dunham (creator of Girls) : and her supposedly egregiously : retouched photos in Vogue : Magazine. Gawker Media website : on the controversy, and in an : equally controversial move they : purchased the un-retouched good while using a model whose : photos from Vog ue fora : ridiculous $10,000 in order to : engage in what looked a lot like : public shaming of Dunham. : Both proponents and opponents : : of airbrushing were horrified : by the debacle—the photos : themselves were only slightly : retouched. A neck-line was airbrushing is dishonest. “When : someone airbrushes it seems like : raised, waist thinned a little, a lie. Youre not seeing the whole : and her skin was evened out. : Additionally, in post-production } : a lot of lighting was fixed. : The controversy raised some : good discussions about what : kind of Photoshop work is okay : to do, and what isn’t. Lighting : and styling, fine, but modifying : , 2 1 : Jezebel.com reported extensively : a person's body? Especially a : feminist icon? Maybe not so : cool. Douglas College student Alysha Hira says that seeing : tons of airbrushed images isn’t : good for women. She says, “I : think it kind of gives everybody : a warped idea of perfection, a : warped idea of beauty.” “We kind of aim in everyday life to look like that, when we : can’t necessarily because it is just : airbrushing, it’s Photoshop, it’s : fake. I think it can be harmful to : younger generations [who] are : more easily influenced.” LISSHE theotherpress.ca Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover from 1966 (TOP) and 2012 (BOTTOM) By Sports Illustrated Life is transition » Student struggles disguised as professional perplexities Cody Klyne a) Layout Manager en I walked into the office that first day I felt underprepared, overdressed, and out of place. Moving on from the relative certainty of post-secondary life to my first big “career” job this past June was one of the most simultaneously exciting and life. On one hand I'd found my way back on track, though I'd gone about it in a rather roundabout way involving years of schooling in a different field entirely, and was doing what I loved to do: graphic design. On the other hand, I was doing what I loved, getting paid for it, and was given an official job title to match: graphic designer. I wanted to be sick from the pressure. Before I get into debunking : and confirming some workplace : clichés, the significance of : this transition from student : designer to professional designer : warrants a brief detour. The : long unacknowledged weight of : those two words—student and : professional—and how I had : been relying on them exposed : an elephant in the room that : would take some thought to : finally shoo away. One was a parachute. When : shit hit the fan for Cody the vulnerable moments of my adult } Student, he could always pull : the, I’m-still-learning-and-T’ll- : do-better-next-time ripcord and : strategically distance himself : (if only mentally) from the : incoming storm. : The other was a megaphone. : : When shit hit the fan for Cody : the professional, all he could : do was say “yes, that’s me” after : awkwardly fiddling with the : volume knobs so that everyone : within earshot and beyond : could hear. Redefining how you see : yourself takes time, so whether : you're a student, professional, : or professional student, here are : a few things to keep in mind as : you navigate the obstacle course of life. Own it. While in school it’s : easy to pass the buck and come : up with excuses, so take the time : to develop an understanding : of the value of ownership now. : Contrary to the preferred choice : of procrastinators, submitting : something on time and building : on that concept is better than : dragging something out well : past its deadline. At the end : of the day, if things unravel : and you absolutely need an : extension, own that too. Your : professors will appreciate it; your : co-workers will look for ways : to help you out; your clients : won't be happy, but there's value : in maintaining a professional : relationship with a little respect : and honesty. No one cares. So what, youre the new guy/girl. While : this rule might better apply : in situations with a higher : headcount, it’s one less thing : to stress about if you can make : it fit for you. People have work : to do and it’s business as usual : whether youre there or not. The : same thing applies for whether : this is your first job out of : school, or your 15th. People will : ask you such questions to break : the ice, but don’t sweat it, they're : : just trying to get to know you : and aren’t necessarily levelling : any sort of judgment. You’ve : been hired to doa job, so don't : let the new sights, sounds, and : smells unnerve you. Be present and be : yourself. While this comes : easier to some than others, it’s an old problem that gets a new : lease on life when in the context : of a professional setting. Take : time to understand the culture : around you. Is it corporate? : Are people wearing jeans? Do: : people have kitschy knickknacks : : on their desks? Don’t be afraid : to put yourself out there, just : be aware of your surroundings. : Above all else, from the first : interview to your last day on : the job, be you. You'll enjoy : your time at work more if youre : worrying about putting on a : performance less. Invest. We'd all rather be : lounging on a beach somewhere : sipping Mai Tais. The reality of : the situation is that youre sitting in a grey cubicle in a concrete : tower. Make the most of it. Help : plan social events for your team. : Smile and make the people : around you do the same. Going : to work should be more than the : work you do. While some will : be happy to leave well enough : alone (which is well within their : rights), the extra effort to create : asense of community in the : office will not go unnoticed, and : can really help to turn the blasé : into a blast. You go to school, you get : a job, you never stop learning. It’s just up to you to pick up on : the patterns and realize that : you've been doing new and : uncomfortable since you were : born.