It’s a fair criticism of popular culture, that most of the images of human beauty being thrown at us are completely unrealistic.  In fact, most of them nowadays probably aren’t even real at all.

Check out the images on this professional Photoshopper’s web site…

Greg Apodaca has worked as a digital retoucher in pre-press houses, design studios and advertising agencies in and around the San Francisco bay area since 1995.

He’s good.  This image is your typical hot babe in a bikini pose.  This one is a beautiful cover girl.  Run the mouse cursor over it to see the before.  Take the mouse off the image to see the after.

Here’s a hot babe from another professional digital retouch artist, Glenn Feron.  Here’s something to think about the next time you see that Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue on the stands.  Check out this beautiful babe on the sheets.  And this lovely lass.

You need to understand, this is how it’s done nowadays.  That beautiful babe you see in this month’s issue of Maxim was probably computer enhanced to get your hormones going so you’ll buy the damn magazine.  I don’t know about the gay glossies, but I suspect the same is true of them.  Every month I get an Out Magazine and a couple others pushed through my mail slot, and I take a few moments to gawk at the beautiful men in them.  Hey…sex sells.  But I think eye candy, like real candy should be made with…er…all natural ingredients.  You have to be careful of anything these days that has too many cheap additives in it.  A steady diet of that kind of thing isn’t healthy. 

There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of beauty.  But when the images of it we consume day after day aren’t even real, then its no wonder so many people have such poor self images, and so many behave in very self destructive ways…not eating right, taking drugs, hating their bodies…all for an image of human beauty that is actually quite inhuman.

I was blessed at a young age with a wandering, curious eye, and maybe that’s why I’ve never really believed in what the advertisements, and the glossy magazines have been telling me about human beauty all these years.  I like looking at them, sure.  But it’s like looking at anime in a way: The images are beautiful, but human anatomy just doesn’t do that   Ever notice how goddamn huge eyes are in anime and maga?  Not even birds have eye to skull size ratios like that.  It can be strikingly beautiful in its own way, but it’s an abstract representation of a human being.  It isn’t real.  Neither is what we’re seeing in ads and glossy magazines.

Go for a walk in the city.  Take in the faces at your local mall, or even the grocery store.  Real people are beautiful.  More beautiful actually, then anything you see in an advertisement, or a lifestyle magazine.  Go get yourself some real eye candy.  All natural.  Free range.  Seriously.  It’s better for you.