Fade to Black

(Elle cover vs. Showtime premiere. Pic from thegrio.com who pulled pics from MSNBC)

Everyone is talking about the photoshopped picture of Gabourey Sidibe in the upcoming edition of Elle. While I understand why everyone is upset, I'm trying to figure out why is this any different. The media has been touching up celebrities for years; making fat girls skinner and people lighter. They claim they work magic with their photoshop wand to make "minor" changes to "small" flaws in a photograph. Everyone just rants about it on blogs and television shows, but no one does anything about it.

(Beyonce Knowles. Pic from The Grio)

Until we hit the media and other companies where it hurts, their pocketbooks, they are going to continue this practice. They assume the general public wants to see a smaller Kate Winslet or a lighter Beyonce, but what the public wants is to see someone that looks like them in the spotlight. We want to see a fuller Jessica Simpson. We want to see a darker Freida Pinto. It's evident that our desires are being heard with the first plus size fashion show during New York Fashion Week. We love it. Now we need to convince the media and companies we will not condone the modifications of physical appearance on magazine shelves and advertising. It's not a black/white thing or a skinny/fat thing, it's a wrong/right thing.