Dabboo Ratnani’s Calendar Is Undoubtedly Beautiful But Why Are The Pictures Of The Women So Airbrushed And Photoshopped?

Dabboo Ratnani’s Calendar Is Undoubtedly Beautiful But Why Are The Pictures Of The Women So Airbrushed And Photoshopped?

We talk about real women every day here at Hauterfly. We talk about women who are breaking barriers, shattering glass ceilings, taking the world by its horns and making the world sit up and take notice of us. So we are inspired. We talk about women who are real, raw, who embrace their flaws and show off their curves. We love these women and celebrate them.

And while we love ourselves a glamorous lipstick in the shade of fiery red, we also love ourselves on no-makeup days. We won’t slag women who put their selves forward, wrinkles, stretch marks et al. And after covering this for very, very long, we thought this was where everyone was heading. Everyone wants to step away from the world of Instagram and extreme filters and everyone is getting comfortable in their own skin.

Except, perhaps it’s not this way. Not entirely at least. We are saying this because even as I write this, various actresses are putting up pictures of themselves shot by Daboo Ratnani. A quick Google search will reveal that he’s the guy behind the lens who has been making Bollywood look fabulous for several decades now. Since 1999, Daboo has been clicking the stars and his work behind the camera has become so popular, it’s an event in itself.

ALSO READ: Dear Magazines, Why Photoshop Kareena Kapoor And Kajol So Much That They Look Unreal? That’s Awful

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8vKg1Rl206/

So we were excited to see the pictures. And while they are great, the guy is definitely talented, one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb at us was how incredibly retouched these images are. Aishwarya Rai’s close up is so sanitised, every line is erased, down to the last blemish and her skin made to look so flawless, you stare at in disbelief, but not of the good kind.

Then there’s this picture. This one knocked the wind right out of us.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8twtEdlXUC/

We know Ananya Panday is fit. We know she has a team of hair and makeup artists at her disposal who will hide every flaw. But we also know that her legs don’t look like that of a doll’s in real life. But we also know that her legs don’t like they can create solar power by reflecting the light. Please. Let’s calm down with the photoshop. Stop with the airbrushing that’s so intense that the limbs don’t even look human. This is how Ananya’s leg look in real life, you know, when she’s a human.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7IZF6dATDG/

We understand that perhaps stars don’t want to be put out there with their scars, blemishes and age showing. We get it. But this extent of retouching, so there’s isn’t a trace of reality left in the picture can’t be good.

For the many girls who look up to these stars, who want their life and vie for their glamour, this presents is a picture so far from reality, it’s  a mere reference point to them.

What’s more infuriating is that fact that the men haven’t been butchered quite so badly by the retouchers. For wrinkles on men add character, a hairy chest makes them more masculine. But women must continue to look plucked down to every inch of their skin and every line must be erased.

This needs to stop. We can’t be so averse to reality, so disillusioned or so misled that we think that women are permanently waxed, clean and don’t have a hair out of place.

Your misogynistic standards are annoying us and we are calling them out.

ALSO READ: Whoever Did The Photoshop Job On Deepika Padukone And Gave Her A “Contour Beard” Needs To be Sacked

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