a little crazy rambling

i recently watched this video that i found on cardigan empire. and i agree with what the clinical dietician said, we all know that photos in media magazines, websites, tv shows and movies are all photoshopped, but do we let it sink in? do we really know that that is a false reality?  do we even know what reality looks like?

it's interesting because i was thinking about this at my zumba class last week. here i am, standing in front of dozens of women, and we are all bouncing up and down and shaking our what nots. what i loved is that when i looked in their faces, they all looked beautiful. truly happy, and truly beautiful. did it matter how old you were or what size you were or how many wrinkles or love handles you had? not in the least.

but i can guarantee that when the same women watch tv, movies or read the media magazines, or are around a very thin woman, they don't feel as beautiful as they truly are. it is never, ever enough. obviously, it seems like there is a solution to this, limit the media influences in your life if you have a problem with them. ok, solved.

but what scares me is the photoshopping being done on just your normal blog or facebook photos.  children's hair is lightened, and eyes brightened and colors softened to make everyone and everything look better, more perfect, more acceptable.  and the question is, how much is ok? how much is too much? what will the children think when they look at these photos as adults? will they know what things really looked like? the true reality? will they let it sink in that these are all "edited" to look nice. how will they know how to be happy with an un-edited life? what's going to happen when they give birth and their babies head is cone-shaped, face puffy, and cottage cheese in every crevice? because that's what all of mine have looked like. honestly.

i'm just wondering what the true culprit is- the media? photoshop? or the fact that we believe what the media and photoshop are selling? that 40 is the new 20 and pregnancy only adds 2lbs during pregnancy and melts off at birth. that our skin is flawless at all times and the grass was always green.and it's ok to "touch up" all of your photos to look better. what will it be like in 11 years, and everyone owns photoshop and every single family photo is edited? maybe none of this really matters at all. i am crazy after all.

maybe it's just me, but i know for a fact that i will NOT look like demi moore when i'm in my fifties, that i will not fit back into my jeans 2 weeks after having a baby and that most days there are brown spots on the grass.  that's the true reality. i don't have perky boobs or firm buttocks or skinny arms or bagless eyes or a perfect home. but we wish we did don't we?  maybe that's the problem? the fact that we wish things are so different instead of being content with reality. i'm not saying we should all plop on the couch and eat ding dongs all day and give up any and all forms of exercise and maintenance all together. as my dad would say, "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". no, healthy habits are good and essential. but excessive vanity and altered perceptions of reality are bad. you get my drift? probably not, this is a pretty crazy post.

i know that i'll swith photos to black and white, and crop them to focus on one thing. but i really try to leave alone 99% our daily photos. but my annual family photo and wedding photos? yeah, all of those are edited. guilty as charged.

so i guess what i'm saying is: where is the line?
when is it ok to just let people see the real you?
when do you edit?
when do you abstain?
have you even ever thought about it?
and if so, what do you think?
or does none of this matter and you think i'm making a mountain out of a mole hill?


*ps* i wrote this post over a month ago and just had the guts to post it.