Grammy’s 2012 | WhyDid.com

Would You Wednesday: Photoshop Foolery

By Kirsten|February 15th, 2012|Why Did or Why Don't?|

What a year it’s been for Adele. This 23 year old British songbird has taken home six Grammy’s and scored her first American Vogue cover… and it’s only February. I’m not sure what is going to have to happen for her year to get much better. A pony perhaps?

I’m an avid Vogue reader and I have so much respect for Anna Wintour and the team at Vogue, but I would be downright insulted to see my face morphed into what is considered “acceptable” rather than the beautiful creation it already is. There’s no denying this is a beautiful woman. Those eyes! Those lips! She didn’t really need any high tech help to look gorgeous. That’s why I would be pretty bummed out to see what was once my face staring back at me in the supermarket checkout line.

Finally young girls have a female role model who receives praise strictly from talent and hard work rather than flashing crotch to paparazzi and partying all night. Yet, here she is being “shaped” into a size that’s more palatable for the fashion elite. What are we trying to tell people? Especially women?

To act like Adele is the first and only celebrity to be Photoshopped to within an inch of her life on the cover of Vogue or any other glossy would be totally naive (Remember the Ralph Lauren scandal?). 90% of what we see in magazines or in ads is not real. It frustrates me to hear my friends and other females get so down on themselves about how they look and how they wish they were a little thinner or a little taller or a little bit more perfect because they’re comparing themselves to unrealistic standards.

I once received a photo of myself that had been Photoshopped. After I got over the initial, “Wow!” moment, I immediately felt depressed. My lips were fuller, my nose was straighter, my blue eyes more blue. I realized that this was how I’m supposed to look… if I was perfect, of course. But I’m not. And no one (not even Adriana Lima) is. We all have flaws and those flaws are what make us unique. It’s time to start embracing those instead of letting them alienate us.

Cindy Crawford was once quoted as saying, “Even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.” I think that’s such a wonderful and honest thing to say. Maybe if more celebrities, magazines, and brands eased up on the “healing tool” and stopped “transforming” everything, we might alleviate a lot of low self esteem and bad body images.

So what do you think? Have magazines, advertisements, and fashion houses gotten out of hand with creating perfect specimens? Would you like women to start looking more like… themselves?

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Grammy Glory and Grammy Gross

By Kirsten|February 12th, 2012|Red Carpet Recap, Why Did You Wear That?|

You know, the Grammy’s always manage to get my blood boiling. Whether Lady Gaga is showing up as an egg or Snooki just shows up, it seems like this particular award show just causes everyone to lose their darn minds. This year was especially tragic due to the loss of the great Whitney Houston, and I expected a much more subdued, somber affair, but despite the abundance of (I suspect unintentional) black on the red carpet, it seems the night carried on as usual.

Oh- hey black dresses. I know that we all think you can’t go wrong in a little black dress (LBD), but it would appear that’s not always the case. Now, I know Rihanna’s Armani “collaboration” was a showstopper, but let’s be real, while not offensive, it’s also nothing that me or one of my sorority sisters didn’t don at one of our date parties. This slinky low cut number left me less than impressed. Anne V (beautiful arm candy to beau Adam Levine), proved that an LBD can be anything but tasteful. We get it, your gorgeous. Now please cover your crotch. However, Gwyneth Paltrow wowed in this tasteful yet unexpected Stella Mc Cartney. That, my friends, is how an LBD is done.

Without spending too much time on the red carpet (and my head and heart exploding), let’s just get down to business. Three ladies who I thought stole the show, or at least the red carpet, were Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad and an unlikely chic bun updo (let’s forget about her Yeehaw Junction performace), Jessie J in Julien Macdonald, and Kelly Rowland in Alberta Ferretti. This is how you do elegant glamour.

And with the good must come the bad. While I have to say that I was blown away by the color and the detail of Fergie’s Jean Paul Gaultier get up, I had no interest in her oversized granny panties or “Grammies” as they were coined. It’s a bit age inappropriate (and eye inappropriate), but had she chosen nude, tonal, or metallic undergarments, I might have been slightly less offended. Katy Perry just needs to cut it out with her crazy colored hair (this combination has me thinking she’s gunning for a Smurfs sequel), and this Elie Saab dress leaves me longing for that ridiculous light up number she sported. The most offensive by far, however, was Nicki Minaj in Versace. I don’t care if you showed up with the pope. This look will have you saying Hail Mary’s from now until eternity. Why don’t you and Gaga just have a “weird off” and see who can outdo each other once and for all. Kind of like a dance off with clothes.

Nonetheless, the Grammy’s was full of fantastic performances and plenty of fun… and while my blood pressure may have peaked… I’m certain I will tune in again next year just to get another glimpse of crazy.

xx,

WhyDid

Connect with WhyDid

Instagram @whydid_dotcomNo images found!
Try some other hashtag or username!