Sami Struzynski

Professor Fields

English 105

April 23, 2019

Photoshop in Media Degrades Societies Health

Media today is influencing the minds of both younger and older generations giving them

unrealistic ideas of fitness, health and lifestyles. All over social media sources such as Facebook,

Instagram, news tabloids, beauty ads, etc. are showing a glimpse of celebrities’ glamorous and

seemingly perfect lifestyle and fitness. A prevalent form of this can be seen with photoshop on

the cover of magazines or even just in the social media page of an average person. Issues with

self-confidence and eating disorders are on the rise with the increased use of photoshop in

advertisements, social media, and news. The use of photoshop is completely unnecessary as it

has a negative effect on the physical and mental health of middle to lower classes and even

higher-class societies in some cases. Therefore, the limited use of this technology would have a

positive impact on societies health overall, both physically and mentally.

Celebrities are famous for a reason. They possess materialistic items that are desirable to

much of society. By showcasing these people in magazines, articles, news, social media, etc.

lower classes of society are gaining an unrealistic picture of what life should be like. Because of

this, teens, adults, and older generations are seeking a model-like body, perfect hair, perfect skin,

etc. What many are unaware of is that celebrities are human too and have flaws in their own

appearance. The reason for this ignorance is that photoshop has altered the way they are
presented. In some cases, companies can be false advertising products using photoshop by

making their products appear better than the actual effect.

One of the most devastating effects of photoshop is the mental and health issues that arise

with the exposure to social media images such as health and beauty magazines or pop-culture

magazines. People from under the age of 12 to around 65 are constantly worried about their

appearance and often want to do anything they can to reach an unattainable point in their

skin/hair or their body structure. Unfortunately, many people are going to extremes to look

appealing in the eyes of others. Ways in which some carry out these goals include surgeries,

developing eating disorders, or spending an unnecessary amount of money on beauty or health

supplements. Continually being presented with unrealistic characteristics and then comparing the

photoshopped images to one’s own life can have a negative effect on anyone’s mind.

Personally, I have come into contact with this very issue in my life. This past spring

break, I went to Florida with a group of friends. No more than an hour prior to going to the beach

my friends pulled out their photoshop apps to edit the pictures we had taken together. I was

amazed at how detailed they got to craft the perfect photos via deleting the wrinkles, hair fly-

aways, skin blemishes and the list goes on. This is the first time my own body had ever been

photoshopped and a part of me didn’t sit well with the fact that I was becoming a part of

something that has shaped our society in such a negative way. Truth is, photoshop portrays a

world that is completely unrealistic which sends individuals into a frenzy to look their best.

Whatever happened to natural beauty? Everyone is different and has their own flaws, which is

precisely what makes us unique and special. Social media needs to limit and utilize this tool with

extreme care in order to preserve the mental and physical health of individuals across the world.
 Certainly, photoshop has become a form of art for some and people can create beautiful

pictures of natured landscapes and the like. For companies and brands, photoshop allows for a

more enhanced picture of what their product accomplishes, which can in turn, bring in a lot of

revenue. However, these examples do not look at the everyday-average human and the effect

photoshop has on their health. The importance of bringing in money for large companies and

name brands should not exceed the importance of societies physical and mental health.