06/06/2026
Let’s talk about retouching (editing) people photography and why it’s considered morally subjective!
I think that is a hard question to answer and speak on, because everyone is different, and so you can't speak for other people, however, psychologically speaking, I believe there is an answer..
When you speak to someone, unless you're doing the whole Austin Powers "molely molely" thing, and someone's blemish is unavoidable, then we don't really concentrate on people’s blemishes when talking to them at face value. We are distracted by their personality, what they have to say, and the world aroun... "oh look, a squirrel".
You have no such things in a stills image. Contextually or otherwise, you just have a bunch of people feeling it necessary to compare themselves, and/or judge the public subject on display. What retouching does then, is it removes the distractions that only exist when you're being an ar****le and wish to pass judgement (probably as an insecure projection of one's self), thus, retouching results in a less distracting subject in the story being told.
While you have make-up on a movie set to make you look good under hot lights too, you don't need perfect skin. You're never questioning why Tom Cruise’s legs look patchy when he's running in shorts, because something more important is happening. When Margot Robbie stands fully naked at the door in 'The Wolf of Wall Street', you might, but that’s because she's being sexy and is supposed to be flawless for the narrative, but then again, it would be handled with make-up, her highly rehearsed pose, the lighting, how she is framed in shot, and then an intense story line playing out in front of you. You’re not judging her every pimple and patch.
Unlike movies, there's nothing to distract you in stills, but as Social Media and self-image represents vanity / narcissism, that there is the narrative to justify doing so. If you're doing it in a magazine that you've actively chosen to buy, you're projecting on to the person you’re judging as not being good enough to be there, because you share the same qualities, and you’re not.. yet in the next sentence, you may complain modelling isn't a proper job and that you're not being represented by all the retouched beautiful people.
It's an unwinnable situation, and this is why retouching is a tightrope to walk, as well as a touchy subject, because practically and psychologically speaking, it serves its purpose if you understand it, but in reality, it represents unobtainable perfection, and we humans are too simple-minded to understand both can coexist.
Is that not a perfect metaphor for life? In the last century we have moved mountains in being more technologically advanced and more accepting than ever, yet we're horrible c**ts who can't deal with our own brilliance, and want to use it to destroy one another. Humans are flawed, yet we accept retouching out those flaws in our own narratives.
If you like and find stuff like this interesting, you will probably like my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/splashpointphoto where I explore, discuss and rant about the industry, and all the time.
