Showbiz is all about looking good. That’s why celebrities go through extensive procedures and surgeries to look good all the time. And let’s not forget the personal stylists and make up artists that they have to hire so they stay looking fresh. However, despite all this, when it comes to posing in front of a camera, hiding how a person truly looks can be really hard. That’s where picture editing software like Photoshop come in. They can alter the appearance of the stars in such a manner that they appear flawless. Photoshop is also one of the reasons why Hollywood is criticized for promoting such unrealistic beauty standards. Let’s have a look at some of the before and after pictures of our favorite celebrities.
Madonna
It’s hard to believe that the Queen of Pop is now over 60 years old. She single-handedly shaped the pop music scene for the better part of 4 decades now. She is a gorgeous woman and has redefined fashion and beauty forever. However, she is past her prime now. So, magazines and websites often try to “touch up” these images to make sure she looks perfect. Here, we can see how her skin is made to look tauter and even toned. Even then, when you look at the before picture, you’ve got to say, Madonna’s still got it!
Candice Huffine
Candice Huffine is a plus sized model and a former child beauty queen. The highlights of her career include featuring in publications such as CR Fashion Book, Italian Vogue (cover), Vogue, W, V Magazine, i-D and Glamour. So it’s not a stretch to say that she is an A lister. Her before and after pictures are rather eye-opening, in more than one way. Firstly, despite being an A-lister, even she needs Photoshop to look as good as she does in her shoots. But what’s rather disheartening is that despite being a plus-sized model, she is still being slimmed down, as is evident with the before and after of her thighs and arms, and the rolls on her side. It’s sad how narrow the media’s definition of plus-sized is!
Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford was a heartthrob for many men and women during the 90s and 80s. As an A-List model, Cindy worked for everyone ranging from magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Allure to walking the ramp for Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein among others. But she is 53 now, and and well past her prime. So, of course she has flaws, which are hidden quite cleverly by the image editor as is evident with these pictures. Her skin is made taut and darker and brighter and her cellulite is removed. If only real life were that easy.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber is one of the most well recognized stars around the globe. From throwing eggs at his neighbor’s place to driving under the influence to getting caught naked in a balcony with a “friend”, Justin seems to have done it all. However, it’s not just his shenanigans that have landed him in trouble. Even his work has often courted controversy. Like in this ad for Calvin Klein’s underwear, it was evident that the image had been “retouched”. His arms clearly are made to look bigger and his chest better defined. His butt is also enhanced, and he is also made to look better “endowed”.
Kim Cattrall
Ah! Samantha, how have we missed you. Kim Cattral’s portrayal of Samantha Jones in the hit series, Sex & The City made her a household name. Despite having worked in dozens of films and TV series, she will always be Samantha in our hearts. Now 62, her pictures need some touch up before they can be deemed acceptable by the ridiculous standards set by the grueling industry. She still looks good though!
Britney Spears
If you ask anyone in the world about a female pop singer, 8 out of 10 would name Britney Spears. She is one of the most recognizable stars worldwide. Her ”It’s Britney, b*” moment will probably go into folklore. However, the now 37 year old star has her flaws just like everyone else. So the magazine decided to make her look “flawless” by removing the wrinkles off her face. It’s like they forget that It’s Britney B*!
Beyonce Knowles
Queen B is probably the most successful artists of all time. A lot of people (myself included) think that she can do no wrong. She is the personification of perfection. Okay, enough fangirling. But the fact is that if someone like Queen B needs some help looking as magnificent as she does in pictures, is a major relief for mere mortals like us! Despite all that, she looks stunning even though she is a mother of two now.
Fergie
Fergie’s a singer, actress, rapper and songwriter. The versatile R&B star had found success with her band The Black Eyed Peas and on her own as a solo artist. She has also acted and given her voice in several movies and TV series. However, now that she is in her mid 40s, her pictures seem to require some editing to get rid of those lines and wrinkles to fit the perfect image that the industry requires
Lady Gaga
It is hard to imagine that someone quite as perfect as Lady Gaga would require photoshop to make her pictures look flawless. But the fact is no one can look perfect in every way, not even Lady Gaga herself. So this magazine using photoshop to make her skin look more toned and flawless isn’t that surprising, however it is sad that the media can’t accept our stars as they truly are!
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan’s life has been full of ups and downs. She saw a lot of success early in her teens. However, that much success at an early age isn’t always good and she crumbled under the pressure of stardom. She has seen several stints in rehab because of issues with substance abuse. Now 33, Lindsay’s troubles have left a lasting mark on her. Therefore, photoshop is often used by the star to get perfect pictures out there. Let’s hope Lindsay has gotten her life back on track!
Madonna Again
This picture was used by Interview Magazine as a cover for Madonna’s interview back in 2010. However, in an attempt to make Madonna look younger and flawless, the magazine used a lot of photoshop to make all her lines and wrinkles go away. You can’t even see a hint of Crow’s feet on her face. Somehow, even her smile has been edited, and we can’t understand why.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian started off as a socialite, but has since developed into a hugely successful businesswoman! Her marriage with rapper Kanye West has taken her popularity (or infamy) to a whole new level. Kim has always been rather voluptuous, but that doesn’t stop her from slimming down her pictures using photoshop. In this set of before and after pictures, you can easily see how she has slimmed her waist down and hid the cellulite on her thighs!
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, better known as Katy Perry is one of the most versatile and talented performers of today. Her song, I Kissed A Girl launched her to super stardom. She is also one of the best looking artists in the music industry. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need a little help to look flawless. Photoshop makes her skin look more even toned and removes the spots on the face. In fact, even her eyes are made to look more blue!
Britney Spears Again
Any Britney fan would immediately recognize this image. Back in 2010, when she posed for Candie’s fashion, this airbrushed image of hers was released. However, Britney did the unthinkable and released the unedited version of the image. It is evident in the before and after picture that the photo editing made her butt look smaller. Also, the cellulite on her thighs was removed and a tattoo she has on her back was hidden too.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence started her showbiz career at the young age of 16. She has been one of the most successful actors of this generation, racking up roles like Katniss in The Hunger Games and Mystique in the X-Men series. She is very young and serves as a role model and an inspiration for millions of people worldwide. Despite all her accomplishments, the magazine decided to focus on the size of her waist and butt to make it look more appealing and fit their definition of perfection.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is one of the most recognizable faces in all of Hollywood. The Academy award winner has been the face of perfection for almost 3 decades now. That is helped by the fact that she is more than just an artist – she is also a humanitarian activist. However, when someone takes a picture so close to her face, it is revealed that even she has a few flaws, which only proves that she is human. The editing in the picture also shows how her skin tone has been made to look more even.
Miley Cyrus
Did you know Hannah Montanna is actually Miley Cyrus? Well, I was shocked too. All jokes aside, while Miley’s career has blossomed, she has also been involved in a number of controversies. Regardless, she still remains one of the most popular stars of today, and even she has to have her photos airbrushed to look perfect. In these pictures, her waist was slimmed down, her bosom was enhanced, and her skin tone was made more even.
Penelope Cruz
Penelope Cruz is every man’s dream from the early 2000s. The Spanish beauty’s role in the Pirates of the Carribean series has probably immortalized her presence in Hollywood. However, the now 45 year old doesn’t have the flawless looks she once did. As can be seen in her before and after pictures, her crows feet are gone, and the smile lines and her skin tone is more even.
Britney Spears Again
Despite how talented she is, Britney is only human. Hard to believe, isn’t it? But these before and after pictures show just that. To be fair to her, bikini pictures are always rather unflattering. Her belly has been reduced, the rolls on her sides are gone and her thighs are more toned. If only weight loss was as simple as clicking a button!
Avril Lavigne
Canadian superstar Avril Lavigne is probably one of the best exports from up North. She is not just extremely talented, but she is also very gorgeous. She earned the title of Pop Punk Queen quite justifiably! Her single ‘Girlfriend’ is a song that every 90s kid is very familiar with. However, with time, her flawless looks seem to have developed a few flaws which is why Cosmopolitan Magazine chose to use a touched up photo. Her nose looks small, her skin is even toned and it looks like her eyes are made to look brighter!
Gwen Stefani
With a career spanning the better part of 4 decades, Gwen Stefani is one of the most amazing artists in America. She has won just about every accolade there is to win and has been one of the most revered artists around. She is almost 50 now, but has managed to maintain her looks as she is known for using minimal makeup. However, that doesn’t mean her pictures aren’t photoshopped. It is clearly evident that the lines on her face have been removed and her skin tone has been made to be even toned and a bit lighter.
Madonna Again
Yes, Madonna again. Apparently, the more successful the artist, the more they get pigeonholed into looking a certain way. These before and after pictures are like night and day. While her arms are made to look more toned and firm, her face is made to appear tauter. Why is it hard to accept that like every other human, even artists age with time?
Meghan Trainor
That girl is indeed all about that bass! Yes, Meghan Trainor is the artist responsible for the hit number “All About That Bass”. She is barely 25 and has been involved with various charities and activism. Meghan has always been a curvy lady and hasn’t really been bothered with keeping up with the industry standards. However, you might ignore the standards, but the standards will not ignore you. So this picture of hers is altered to make her waist look smaller.
Madonna Again
Featuring for the fourth on time on this list, Madonna’s pictures seem to be a favorite for editors. She is no longer a young woman, and it shows. But that will not stop people from forcing their standards onto her. The woman is gorgeous, even without all the editing! And let’s not forget that her talent puts pretty much everyone to shame!
Kristen Stewart
The Twilight actress is one of the most gorgeous women in all of Hollywood. She was picked to portray Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman, and that’s a true testament to how gorgeous she is. She even got trolled by Donald J. Trump on Twitter before he was President! I guess that means that not everyone is a fan. And this editor clearly isn’t a fan of her parted lips look. Her lips look to have been forcefully shut down while her skin is made to be more even toned and paler.
Miranda Kerr
If you think of Victoria’s Secret Angels, you probably think of Miranda Kerr. She is Australian by birth and has been one of the most successful models of this generation. She is married to Evan Spiegel, the co-founder of Snapchat. When Miranda was clicked at a launch event, apparently she was not wearing enough makeup to please the photographer. Her face has been made to look paler and without the glow that everyone has.
Katy Perry Again
Yep, this is the second appearance for Katy on this list. When you look at the before picture, you will find there isn’t anything really there for you to change the appearance of. But when you look at the after picture, you realize that even the minutest of flaws that make her seem a human have been covered up. Totally unnecessary!
Faith Hill
Probably the most popular female country singer in the world, Faith Hill is an absolutely gorgeous woman. She has won five Grammy Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, six American Music Awards, and several other awards. Now 51, Faith clearly isn’t in her physical prime. However, this picture was taken back in 2007 for Redbook magazine. Her arms have been made to look skinnier and her face tauter!
Keira Knightley
From Star Wars to Pride and Prejudice to Pirates of the Carribbean, Keira has been an A-Lister right from the get go. She is absolutely gorgeous and anyone who doesn’t agree is plain blind. However, when portraying Guinevere in King Arthur back in 2004, Keira Knightley was apparently not good enough for the production team who enhanced her bosom and edited her skin tone as well.
Sharon Stone
90% of women would be willing to pay an arm and a leg to look half as amazing as the gorgeous Sharon Stone who is now 61 years old and past her physical prime. Anybody who saw Basic Instinct knows just how pretty this woman really is. And like any mortal being, she has aged. If you look at the before picture, you would actually feel that Sharon Stone has aged like fine wine. But the photographer still managed to have her image edited to remove any signs of the woman growing old!
Lady Gaga Again
Lady Gaga is the epitome of eccentricity. She has never conformed to rules and that’s what makes people love her. It also helps that she has the talent to back up her eccentricities. However, when she was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine, she was made to conform to the industry standards, either willingly or unwillingly. Her waist is made to look tiny so that she fits the bill of beautiful!
Leighton Meester
The Gossip Girl actress Leighton Meester made her way to America’s heart very early. She is very talented and worked in several movies and TV series in a career that spans almost 2 decades now. When she made this red carpet appearance in a minimal makeup look, the photographer decided to do her makeup for her after the fact. Her natural look is traded in for a more traditional red carpet look, just like that!
Nina Garcia
The editor-in-chief of Elle magazine is one of the most popular journalists in the fashion industry. She probably approves thousands of edited pictures of celebrities to be posted in her magazine. However, here she seems to have been at the receiving end of what she does to other people. Whether this was by choice or chance still remains a mystery.
Kim Kardashian Again
Kim Kardashian is an extremely famous celebrity and has to appear as amazing and flawless as possible. While she is mostly seen in the dolled up version of her, her natural look with minimal makeup also looks amazing. But amazing doesn’t mean perfect, does it? So the edited photo has a more made up version of Kim staring at the camera.
Rihanna
Yup, that’s right, they didn’t even spare Ri Ri. Along with Queen B, she is probably the most well recognized female artists of the 21st century. It is said that Rihanna is a gift of the gods. And if you look at the before picture of hers in this set, you will probably agree, looking at her flawless red carpet look. However, even then, her image was airbrushed to make her waist smaller and her hairline was also covered up.
Prince George
Little Prince George is royalty in the literal sense. As the eldest son of Prince William and Catherine Middlleton, he is obviously hard to take a picture of. So when US Weekly magazine got the opportunity to take a picture of the Prince, they decided to give his skin a bit more color. What’s sad is that they have beauty standards as to how a child is supposed to look. WOW!
Megan Fox
A teenage heartthrob, Megan Fox is perfection in the flesh. Her role in the blockbuster movie, Transformers, shows just how gorgeous this woman really is. She even appeared on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, fulfilling the fantasy of many nerds. However, she is still human and will have visible flaws when you snap a close up photo. However, the after shot is clearly edited, making her look rather computer generated!
Zendaya
Barely 22 years of age, Zendaya is already full of talent and is amazing at what she does, whether it be singing, dancing or acting. While Disney’s “Shake It Up” rose her to prominence, she is currently playing MJ in Marvel’s Spiderman series. She is extremely pretty and is very popular. But this editor seems to think that she needs to work on her waist and bottom to fit the picture of the perfect woman. Even her skin is being made to appear brighter!
Kate Winslet
Anyone who has ever seen Titanic would know exactly who Rose aka Kate Winslet is. The British actress is an Academy Award Winner and is widely considered a classically gorgeous woman. However, it is not enough to please everyone and this editor decided to not only even her skin tone, but also make it artificially pale and fair. She seems like a cardboard cutout of herself.
Miley Cyrus Again
Miley is back on our list. And this time the editing is rather radical. It appears as though one of her arms has been edited out of the picture. Her bosom and butt also seem to be enhanced as she rocks that gorgeous white dress. Miley looks a million bucks even in the before shot so this editing appears to be in bad taste!
Kris Jenner And Gordon Ramsay
One is the mother of one of the most famous families in the USA and the other happens to be the most popular chef in the country. Kris is now 63 and Gordon is 52. So yeah, they are not getting any younger, and it is not stupid or rude to expect their faces to show their age. But that is not glamorous enough for the paparazzi who decided to smoothen their faces and remove any signs of them having aged. Classy!
Miranda Kerr And Co
And the award for the most unnecessary photo edit goes to these geniuses at Vogue. Why would anyone ever have to change how supermodels look? Isn’t that the whole point of supermodels? They are how people want to look. These people decided to lighten the skin (and even hair) of these Victoria’s Secret Angels. Kudos!
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes has had a topsy turvy career. She started in the late 90s, and had been active until 2014. She is known for her roles in movies like Hitch and 2 Fast 2 Furious. She has also had a strong modeling career, working for the likes of Calvin Klein, Reebok, Pantene and Morgan. She has been dating actor Ryan Gosling since 2011 and has 2 children with him. When Cosmopolitan decided to use her face for their cover, they altered it a lot by lightening her skin and removing her dark under eyes.
Britney Spears Again
In case you were wondering as to where to draw the line when it comes to editing pictures, here’s a simple tip- make sure you don’t make a person stop looking human. Like here, the edited picture of Britney makes her look like a poster of her face. The natural shine of her face is gone along with the lines under her eyes. This is textbook overkill!
Lindsay Lohan Again
Sometimes it is hard to figure out whether the photographer is an editor or a makeup artist. Lindsay Lohan has gone through a lot and it has done a number on her appearance, no offense. This guy managed to hide the other paparazzi guy and Lindsay Lohan’s real age. Her eyes and lips have makeup edited on, somehow. Hard to say what this guy was thinking.
Tyra Banks
As a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005, Tyra Banks has been highly successful in almost all her career endeavors, where it be acting, modeling, singing, and writing or TV production. She started her career on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and has been part of several hit shows including America's Next Top Model and America’s Got Talent. These before and after pictures show how her face has been edited. All the stray strands of hair on her face have been magically removed and surprisingly the colors of her eyes have been altered too.
Nicole Scherzinger
As a singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality, there is nothing Nicole cannot do. She is very versatile and has been successful at everything. She was the lead singer of the band Pussycat Dolls and later won Dancing with the Stars. She is most famous for being a judge on the show X-Factor. Here we see how her image is edited to make her appear to have more even toned skin and no lines under her eyes either.
Emma Watson
Hermoine Granger aka Emma Watson is one of the most famous British actresses of our time. Her career started by playing Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter series. She has been a vocal activist for feminism and women's rights. She is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. In this set of before and after pictures of hers, you can see how her face has been dolled up and given pinker cheeks and pinker lips. Even her hair looks more blonde.
Oprah Winfrey
Here’s one woman on the list who doesn’t need any introduction. Oprah is an absolute legend in the industry. She has been hosting TV interviews and talk shows for the better part of 5 decades now and she is still going strong. She is an inspiration for people all over the globe. However, looking at this picture from back in the day, we are shocked to see that Oprah’s face was superimposed on Ann Margret’s body. This is beyond wow!
Selena Gomez
The American singer, actress and songwriter gained stardom as a teen by appearing on shows such as Barney & Friends and Wizards of Waverly Place. She has since featured in several movies and is now the executive producer for the hit Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. She has had a fairly successful music career as well, with hits like Good For You and Come & Get It. Her love life has also gotten her into the news often as her on-again-off-again relationship with singer Justin Bieber was filled with headlines. In this set of before and after pictures, we see that even though the changes are subtle, her skin tone has been evened out and her eyes are looking more made up.
Serena Williams
She is one of the most prolific tennis superstars of her generation. Serena Williams is an inspiration to millions, with a career that has spanned for over 2 decades now. She is one of the most decorated tennis players, winning 23 major titles over the years. She even has 4 Olympic gold medals in her trophy cabinet. She has almost become synonymous with women’s tennis. However, all these accomplishments are not enough to warrant that people accept her the way she looks, even though she looks damn fine. It makes no sense to edit her pictures like this.
Natalie Porntman
Natalie Portman is as talented as she is gorgeous. Having featured in nearly 50 movies, Natalie is a Hollywood A-Lister. With movies like Thor, Black Swan, Star WarsThe Phantom Menace and V for Vendetta, she is very accomplished. She even won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role in Black Swan. As can be seen in these pictures, her edited image shows more color in her cheeks and lips.
Kim Kardashian Again
A major part of Kim Kardashian’s job is to look good. And she does it pretty well naturally. You will find it hard to locate an embarrassing picture of her because she works hard on her looks. However, that isn’t enough to make her fit the frame of conventional beauty. As can be seen in these images, her skin is made to look lighter and her waist is made to look tinier.
Jennifer Aniston
Jen Aniston is an absolute legend of the industry. She has worked for over 30 years and gained prominence from the hit show Friends. She has also been a part of several movies including We’re The Millers, Horrible Bosses and Bruce Almighty. She even has a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her role in Friends. If you ever wanted to see a clay statue of her, you can look at this edited image of her. Even her eyes seem to have been shrunk.
Kate Middleton
The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton is the definition of royalty. She and Prince William had been the face of the British Royal family for a long time, before Prince Harris married Meghan Markle. As seen in the list above, the media didn’t spare her son Prince George, so why would they spare her. So when she appeared on the cover of Grazia magazine in her wedding dress, her face seemed to have been edited heavily.
