They say a picture can paint a thousand words, but when a picture is online, those words can often be less than truthful than they appear.
Sometimes pictures that purport to show one thing actually show another. For example, it was reported that the image that President Trump used as his Twitter profile header was not of his own inauguration, but that of former President Barack Obama. The latter’s crowd in 2009 was more numerous than that of the former.
Then, of course, there’s the issue with editing images to such an extent that you might as well have used another picture entirely anyway. The images we see in magazines, on TV and on social media are not always what they seem; this can affect self-esteem in a big way. It’s not just the fashion magazines that are Photoshopping images to create unattainable body images.
The children are gobsmacked by the difference between the reality and the final image
Do schools have a role to play in making students aware of the dangers of taking at face value the images they see online? I think so, particularly when it comes to body image.
Whenever I’ve taught body image lessons to Year 6, I’ve started off with the Dove Evolution video (bit.ly/DoveEvolutionVid), which is a minute-long timelapse video that takes the viewer through the process from slightly spotty, make-up less model to fully made-up, completely Photoshopped billboard. Every single time, the children in front of me have been gobsmacked about the difference between the reality and the final image, and it’s been a great springboard for a discussion about what this means.
The impact of edited images
However, it’s important that students also realise that it doesn’t take a powerful and expensive piece of software, such as Photoshop, to create “perfect” photos. Fairly cheap apps, such as Facetune (bit.ly/FacetuneUK), allow you to make some pretty drastic changes to portrait shots; you could even edit one of yourself to really get the point across or let students have a go on some celebrity “before” pictures, so they can see how easy it is. There are plenty of news stories out there featuring “before and after” Photoshop images of celebrities.
How do the children feel, seeing perfect-looking images?
Once you’ve had a look at the technicalities of editing, the really important part is to then get your students to discuss the effects that edited images can have on those viewing the picture. How does seeing perfect-looking images make you feel? Why do you think magazines and websites choose to alter some images in this way? How does seeing the before-and-after images make you feel now? How should we approach celebrity pictures now that we’re armed with this information?
Knowing the Photoshop secrets of celebrities may not halt young people’s quest for perfection, but it might help them view these images - and indeed all images online - differently and not fall victim to a false reality.
Claire Lotriet is a teacher at Henwick Primary School in London. She tweets @OhLottie and blogs at clairelotriet.com
