Photo Retouching for Online Dating
An article last week in the Times Picayune called "You and improved," discusses online photo retouching services and how they are currently in hot demand. Why not shave off 15 pounds from your Facebook picture or remove an inopportune zit from Flickr if you can?
It used to be that these kinds of services were only affordable for magazine publishers or marketers with million-dollar pocketbooks. But these days anyone can afford a $7 photo tooth whitening or scar removal. Yet the article only discusses social networking sites and makes no mention of how such technology could affect the online dating world.
Personally, I'd much rather post photos of myself that were a tad less favorable than ones that had me at my absolute best. Why? Because if I do end up meeting an online suitor face to face at some point in the future, I don't have to feel like I'm living up to a second-in-time that could only be perfect at that moment. I'm a real person who has flaws (just like the rest of us), and I would hate to think that a date found me to be less than forthcoming about my age, weight or any other physical representation that people take stock of.
What do you think? Would you be upset if you met someone that had obviously doctored their photos to post at an online dating site? Or do you think it's a great way to enhance your looks so as to attract more suitors, dates, and a potential mate? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Related:
As a graphic artist by day, I don’t think a little photo retouching is dishonest at all. The fact of the matter is that un-retouched photos lie: the lighting and color is off, blemishes and wrinkles become far more noticeable than they are when someone is right in front of you, and lenses distort our facial and bodily features.
That said, you have to draw the line somewhere. If you have a characteristic mole or something, you definitely shouldn’t remove it. Use photo retouching to more clearly illustrate what you do look like – not to deceive.
I am a photo retoucher and I have done many personal photos (not sure for what, I don’t ask) but I have had some modest little pimple fixes and I have done total overhauls.
http://www.modelphotoretouching.com
It happens a lot, I think everyone knows by now that the possibility is out there that the person will look nothing like their photo.