Women's Health magazine is denying accusations that it aggressively airbrushed Rum Diaries star Amber Heard to look thinner than she already is.
In a statement Nov. 23, 2011, Women's Health editor Michele Promaulayko said Amber's December 2011 cover photo was not digitally altered, explaining:
"We did not photoshop the image to make her look thinner. These are her real proportions. We choose cover stars who are fit and healthy. Amber exemplifies that."
[Editor's note: To be fair, the lithe 5'8" Amber is extremely slender, so her super-slim profile in the cover photo looks believable when compared to other, non-magazine, images.]
Actress: Photoshopping Causes Poor Body Image
Digital editing is extremely common in print publishing and advertising, where wrinkles, pounds and inches are routinely airbrushed off models and celebs to give them a flawless appearance.
Recently, actress Rachel Leigh Cook slammed the practice, saying photoshopping contributes to poor body image among gullible fans who idealize airbrushed magazine images of celebs who appear thinner, younger and more beautiful than they really are, causing readers to wonder why they don't look so perfect by comparison.
"Nothing that you see is real, even if you look at what looks like a candid photo of someone, anything can be done," said Rachael Leigh, 32.
Did Cosmetics Ads Whitewash Dark-Skinned Models?
In August 2011, UK's Grazia magazine admitted it had photoshopped inches off Kate Middleton's wedding photo, making her naturally tiny waist look even smaller.
Grazia had initially denied the aggressive digital alterations.
But the uproar over aggressive airbrushing isn't limited to magazines. In September 2011, cosmetics giant L'Oreal came under fire after being accused of "whitewashing" Indian actress Freida Pinto to make her skin look lighter.
Just two years earlier, L'Oreal was slammed for digitally bleaching singer Beyonce's skin for a hair product ad.
In both instances, L'Oreal categorically denied whitewashing.
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