Pictures That Lie

I chose to analyze the picture of Katie Couric from CBS because I feel like this type of photo enhancement occurs frequently. Many magazines contain images that have been altered to make the person look better. In our society today this type of photo alteration in magazines is considered "normal." The first image was released in TVNewser. The doctored picture was released a few months later in Watch magazine. The editor altered the photo by changing the saturation and brightness, as well as "slimming" her down. Large portions were removed from her sides to make her appear slimmer. Her neck was also corrected to achieve this appearance. This photo may have been manipulated to make Katie look "fit" to increase the number of viewers. People are more likely to watch something if there is a beautiful woman in it. This photo gives the impression that there is. I don't believe that this manipulation was harmful. It was intended to increase sales, and neither the public or Katie was harmed in the process. The appearance of Katie "loosing a few pounds" does not spur negative thoughts in viewers.