Self magazine tries to explain the Kelly Clarkson photo scandal (updated video)

August 12, 11:55 AMWeight Loss ExaminerGail Gedan Spencer

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Hey, Self, even the cover says "stay true to you"!

In case you've been summering on the moon, America is all atwitter over the latest Self magazine cover featuring singer Kelly Clarkson and the creative photo editing that went on. 

Jezebel.com, which is always on top of magazine cover witchcraft, early on pointed out the fact that the photo of Clarkson was obviously altered to make her look slimmer. 

To address the controversy, Self editor Lucy Danziger took to the magazine's blog to explain why they messed with the photo. She writes:

This is art, creativity and collaboration. It's not, as in a news photograph, journalism. It is, however, meant to inspire women to want to be their best.

Here's the truly galling part:

But in the sense that Kelly is the picture of confidence, and she truly is, then I think this photo is the truest we have ever put out there on the newsstand.

Huh? Do you think that putting her through that whole photo shot process only to look at the photos on the light table and presumably say "Oh, we've gotta slim that girl down in post-production" is confidence boosting? I don't think so.

You can read her entire post HERE, including the reader comments that so far have skewed entirely against her.

So, slimming Kelly Clarkson is supposed to be inspiring to those of us who don't have fun-house mirrors installed throughout our house. And what, the real Kelly Clarkson would send us all to Baskin-Robbins? Please, the girl's not obese -- she just has a little extra junk in the trunk, and I'd bet she's probably no larger than a size 12. Really, Self, we can handle a normal-sized human on your cover.

Basically that's Fairytale Kelly on the cover and they have the video to prove it, which points out the photo trickery even more:

 And here's Self editor Danziger on the Today show with model Emme also trying to talk her way out of the controversy. Fail: