Snapshots of History

Cameras amaze me. I don’t understand how one click of a button can capture a moment in time. It’s rather phenomenal actually, and although I actually don’t quite understand how they work, I will forever me marveled by their capabilities.

In the 1860s, newspapers were simply illustrated with line drawings. Not a whole lot of depth and explanation in those. I cannot imagine current papers without colour photographs. 

Original line drawings that graced the covers of newspapers

The photos, for me anyway, attract my attention and trigger my interest in a story. The saying ‘a picture says a thousand words’ is completely true. The photograph has to sum up the content of the story. If not, it’s a photojournalistic failure.

A colour photograph wasn’t published in a newspaper until 1936, in the Scottish Daily Record and Mail. In the scheme of things, it really wasn't that long ago. I imagine that moment would have been similar to that moment in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy lands in Munchkinland, and the movie transitions from its beautiful, simplistic sepia tones to an abundant on-screen colour explosion. 

But all of these photographic advancements have come at a price. Photoshop is one of the biggest problems in modern day society, filling girls' minds with the fact that they're not meeting the social requirements of 'thin' and 'beautiful'.

I know it to be true, because I'm one of those girls. I have pictures of 'perfect' celebrities up on my bedroom walls, constantly making me feel ugly, fat and inadequate. In ever photo, they look faultless. Is this how they really look? We don't know. We'll never know, because that is how they constantly appear.  

In one magazine article, the non-shopped photo of Kim 'wheissheevenfamousanyway' Kardashian was released accidentally instead of the edited alternative. Now in this example, there isn't a huge amount of difference. It's still enough to show a real woman, with flaws, an existent ass and cellulite as opposed to a tiny-waisted, perfectly toned goddess.

Infamous Kimmy K

The media can warp photos to not even resemble themselves. Check out the video below: no wonder our perceptions of beauty are distorted. What we view as real beauty is completely fake. It's tragic isn't it. We can't even look at ourselves and be happy anymore. Unless, that is, the mirror is airbrushed and we see ourselves through rose-coloured glasses. 


Reality has no place when it comes to body image. Only the reality of being too fat and too ugly. 


http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-women/2009/03/16/negative-body-image-blame-photoshop