Althouse: "But they've given a 22-year-old woman the legs and bottom of an 80-year-old."

May 9, 2008

"But they've given a 22-year-old woman the legs and bottom of an 80-year-old."

Is some nefarious paparazzo photoshopping cellulite onto pictures of Mischa Barton's thighs?

Here's the picture.

There's a whole huge genre of celebrity pics that show flaws: cellulite, pimples, pot bellies, rotting skin, bald spots. In the endless barrage of photography we need this break from the usual glossy, plastic prettiness, don't we? We're only human. Or should we be ashamed? Isn't it enough that we demand authentic cellulite, pimples, pot bellies, rotting skin, and bald spots? Keep it honest, paparazzi. Don't spoil our evil fun.

21 comments:

Triangle Man said...: One of the photographer's comments about the issue:

"It is a shame that publications tend to highlight an issue that is not fair to a young girl."

But you gotta shoot what sells.; 5/9/08, 8:31 AM
rhhardin said...: Dogs have fur so that they're always attractive to the opposite sex. A nice glossy coat is all you need.

Dog hair care is big, of course.

But get good genes and your Doberman's coat takes care of itself. You can skip those ten pages of the dog products catalog entirely.

There are no dog paparazzi, as a result.; 5/9/08, 8:34 AM
Simon said...: Just think of the furore that surrounded publication a few months ago of a picture of Hillary Clinton looking tired, aged, and harried.; 5/9/08, 8:34 AM
vet66 said...: Reactions to photos like the one referenced reflect more on how we view ourselves and not the object of the paparazzi. What a shock that Mischa looks like the rest of us.

Think how fabulous the rest of us hoi poloi would look if we had an army of support staff telling us what to say, how to look, how to apply more "Bondo" makeup than found at Earl Scheib?

I think she looks like she is having fun and playing in her natural state. Nothing to apologize for in the ultimate reality show!; 5/9/08, 8:46 AM
Bob said...: Last night I was viewing a Daily Mail photo set of Ann Robinson (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host), the point of the photos being that Robinson hadn't shaved her armpits, the required closeup looking rather like a crotch shot.

I really had no business clicking on that link...; 5/9/08, 8:52 AM
Mortimer Brezny said...: Just think of the furore that surrounded publication a few months ago of a picture of Hillary Clinton looking tired, aged, and harried.

Yes, Simon, but Hillary Clinton is those things.*

*I do not need a citation to an obscure legal text that proves Hillary Clinton is hotter than Mischa Barton.; 5/9/08, 9:01 AM
George M. Spencer said...: New Yorker feature this week about the king of digital retouching. Enhanced something like 100+ images in the new Vogue. That's editorial images, not including ads. Don't believe anything you see.

It was not so long ago back in the early 1980s when Nat'l Geographic got slammed for moving the pyramids a few inches to make them fit better on a cover.; 5/9/08, 9:43 AM
Simon said...: Mort, I don't regard the case of Clinton v. Barton to be a particularly difficult one to call for the appellant.; 5/9/08, 9:50 AM
Trooper York said...: It is really funny that you legal beagles are still nerdy when you are talking about a hot girl’s ass. But you are consistent I have to give you that.; 5/9/08, 9:54 AM
Jonathan said...: The light in the photos is harsh and uneven and would make anyone look bad. Notice how much better the shaded parts of her body appear as compared to the (overexposed) sunlit parts. In better light she would look gorgeous, as I'm sure she is.; 5/9/08, 10:00 AM
Anthony said...: There was an article a few months back about the perils of HD TV on the porn industry. Apparently, with the higher resolution and the close-ups inherent in the genre, all sorts of physical imperfections are on full 1080p display.; 5/9/08, 10:32 AM
Simon said...: Trooper York said...
"It is really funny that you legal beagles are still nerdy when you are talking about a hot girl’s ass."

In the case of In re ass of Tina Fey, I moved to dismiss for failure to join an essential party - me! Okay, that's legally illiterate, so let's take another shot: In a habeas corpus suit against linton, I'd rule "she sure does." Etc. Yeah, I'm not one of the funny commenters here. ;); 5/9/08, 10:38 AM
Trooper York said...: That's ok Simon. We all have our rice bowl here on Althouse. You and Mort are the Legal Eagles when you are not calling each other racists. I handle the rubber chickens. Rh Hardin rubs against chickens. To each his own.; 5/9/08, 11:00 AM
vbspurs said...: Papparazzo quoted:

"I once saw Keanu Reeves dancing in the nude on a balcony with a girl and decided not to shoot them."

Of course, he admits, "I didn't think at the time that anyone would run those pictures."

LOL.

All together now, YEAH RIGHT.

Oggi and Paris Match alone would've made him a gajillionaire.

Cheers,
Victoria; 5/9/08, 11:03 AM
Trooper York said...: I always thought that Amy Winehouse looks like Hillary's soul.; 5/9/08, 11:09 AM
Anonymous said...: It has always been pretty apparant that Misha Barton was kind of skinny unhealthy as opposed to say Jessical Alba who seems to be in shape but thin.; 5/9/08, 11:40 AM
Paddy O said...: "I always thought that Amy Winehouse looks like Hillary's soul."

Love this.; 5/9/08, 12:13 PM
Joe said...: It looks to me like a combination of harsh light, poor digital camera, excessively long focal range and JPG artifacts all compounding each other and greatly exaggerating that which we would barely notice otherwise.; 5/9/08, 1:49 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: I normally avoid all discussion of celebrities, as a rule.

I make an exception for
celebrity
plastic
surgery
horror stories.

Not that I've even heard of most of these people.; 5/9/08, 2:22 PM
blake said...: C'mon, that's a bit silly. An 80-year-old woman would kill to have a set of legs and butt like that.

An 80-year-old man, doubly so!; 5/9/08, 3:13 PM
dannyboy said...: Aw hell, I'd still hit that. I mean it's Mischa Barton, I'd at least have bragging rights.; 5/9/08, 7:52 PM