Add this to your list of unacceptable body parts: your armpits
Rachel O:
The media, in a series of editing moves, has now deemed them unacceptable and unfit for public consumption.
I’ve wanted to write this piece for awhile and, in light of Britney Spears releasing unretouched photos of herself for the Candie’s campaign, decided it was time. Unfortunately I wasn’t very surprised by the things “enhanced†on Spears’ body – the usual suspects: cellulite, tattoos, blemishes, bruises, slimming of hips, thighs, waist, etc. But lately there’s been a new body part deemed unacceptable by the photo editors at magazines, record labels, etc. – armpits. That’s right ladies, the area under your arm, even when clean shaven has been deemed far too hideous for general public consumption.
I first noticed the trend, while reading Jezebel, as is usually the case with these kinds of things. They posted the cover of British GQ where Anne Hathaway seems to be missing something. Her armpit isn’t just hairless and smoothed by some moisturizing deodorant – it’s not there at all. Just completely gone, just torso side and…arm, with nothing in between. Since then, I’ve come to notice it in other places as well:
Photo stills of Lady Gaga’s music video Telephone:
A Kim Kardashian exercise line campaign:
A photoshoot for Harper’s Bazaar with Megan Fox:
and finally a Sports Illustrated spread:
Apparently that pesky underarm area hinders exercising, dancing, posing, and uh, swimming.
Now it’s just another thing that’s been added to a list of things for the resident photoshopper at any magazine, PR firm, etc. to check off their list, but I think the issue is much bigger than that.  Men don’t have to deal with the same “image enhance everything†that is so prevalent when it comes to actresses and pop stars. For example, when Leonardo DiCaprio appeared on the cover of Esquire Magazine, all his stubble, lines, and wrinkles were left intact. For women, this new underarm thing is another flaw that someone in a board room somewhere has decided is not worthy of publication – it must be fixed. It is another issue for women to worry about – another thing for girls to look at and wonder “why don’t I look like that?†and “what can I do to fix it?â€Â These images eventually become the norm, what we think women really look like, or are supposed to.
Anyone who thinks it’s not a big deal? We’re living in a world where  Jessica Simpson going without make-up is a big deal. And Glamour publishing a picture of a woman with a belly roll is considered a revolution.  So, yeah it’s a problem. We’re in a publishing age, where someone in charge somewhere, looked at a Jennifer Lopez magazine cover, a Ralph Lauren ad, and an image in Maxim Mexico and said “perfect, send that to the printer!â€
We need a lot less this:
And a lot more this:
Rachel, you have the eye! I’ve never even noticed this!
Comment by Lani — April 16, 2010 @ 8:27 pm
Thank you! When I saw the Anne Hathaway post on Jezebel it was the first time I noticed it, but it seems to be catching on. I read ONTD quite frequently too (where I saw some of the other pictures) and there were a few comments on each of those posts saying something to the effect of “her armpit area is freaking me out.”
There’s also a bizarre trend of photoshop disasters where there’s a missing hand http://jezebel.com/5033371/photoshop-of-horrors or extra parts http://jezebel.com/5031087/photoshop-of-horrors
Comment by Rachel — April 16, 2010 @ 9:05 pm
How absolutely strange…. Of course, I don’t believe it’s culturally healthy to expect women to look like ‘girls’ either. After all, men are not expected to look like ‘boys,’ now are they?
And yet no one bats an eyelash at this kind of pedophilia.
As a woman, I have an HUGE issue with this for the above reason, but also the underlying message that woman, no matter how beautiful are never ‘good enough,’ and that there is always something ‘wrong’ with us.
Let’s truly be equal and we, as women, must not buy into this commercial BS!
Comment by Rev. Alicia Lyon Folberth — April 16, 2010 @ 9:09 pm
Wow, Rachel, you do have an incredible eye. Great post, LOVE it!
Comment by Marley — April 16, 2010 @ 9:17 pm
Yikes! Unbelievable. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Makes me want to create a zine of armpits of my favorite women. Some counter-propaganda must be created to stop the very likely scenario you mentioned of a young girl looking at a pitless model photoshop creation and wondering “why don’t mine look like that and how can I fix them.”
Off to find something sleeveless to wear.
Comment by Rhonda — April 17, 2010 @ 2:59 am
[…] Waists are made smaller, torsos and legs are elongated and thinned, thighs smoothed and armpits […]
Pingback by Unretouched Photos: Empowering or Just More ‘Empower-tainment’? : Ms Magazine Blog — April 20, 2010 @ 11:23 am
[…] a few weeks ago, I brought up the fact that armpits are the latest in a string of bodily flaws of women that needs to be airbrushed out. Â After the […]
Pingback by Feminist Fatale » Are Belly Buttons The New Armpits? Photoshop Seems To Think So… — August 1, 2010 @ 3:30 pm
As a male, I love women’s armpits. They are sexy and yes, I have noticed the annoying trend of smoothing it out. No wonder girls in LA are looking more and more plastic! UGH.
Comment by Jay — August 19, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
I haven’t noticed this as much although thought it odd that the underarm area was so smooth in magazine ads. Let’s not forget the other unacceptable body part: belly buttons, or at least ones that are too low.
Comment by Tammi — September 22, 2010 @ 11:10 am
@Tammi: We blogged on the belly button phenomenon, too. http://www.feministfatale.com/2010/08/are-belly-buttons-the-new-armpits-photoshop-seems-to-think-so/
Comment by Melanie — September 22, 2010 @ 1:44 pm
That is seriously disgusting. I feel like with the way things are going with all this retouching and such they may as well just be telling women “your bodies are horrible, you’re ugly, and you’ll never be enough” and just get it over with. Women have beautiful bodies-just the way they are-and that is never or rarely acknowledged. Society is too hard on women and destroying the self-esteem of many girls and women across the world.
Comment by Debora — October 20, 2010 @ 2:39 pm
Its crazy how armpits have become such a big deal for photoshop. You wouldnt think an area that is barely even seen is considered a target place for perfection. This is ridiculious and at this point women should just give up on life, they are seen as imperfect beings that are never good enough! this is why many young women across the globe are suffering from eating and other mental disorders
Comment by Delyla M. — October 20, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
Now that you’ve pointed out the disappearance of the armpits in those photos, it actually looks kind of scary. The fact that I couldn’t even notice that shows how unimportant and ridiculous it is to try and retouch it. It’s not necessary and it’s just creating faker and faker images for women around the world to see. Soon these images are going to look like plastic dolls and won’t look like real people at all. I really hope we don’t get to that point.
Comment by Sharon R. — October 21, 2010 @ 12:52 am
I have not noticed the trend of women smoothing out their armpits. This is the first time that I have heard or read anything about this. By the media women that not just like this women are imperfect. This is what causes them to have these surgeries on places that are barley noticeable. Personally I think that it is disgusting.
Comment by Joshua. S — October 21, 2010 @ 11:37 am
I always wondered how on earth did women on cover magazines have such smooth armpits and not a cinch of hair follicle. I was thinking that these models must have gone through a thorough and painful waxing process to get rid of their armpit hair. This critique of unwanted hair pits has been brought to my attention before. A few years ago, an actress named MoNique appeared at the golden globes with unshaved hairy legs. She was heavily ridiculed for it by the media for causing a controversial gross scene. Her decision to appear in a beautiful gown with hairy legs was even deemed disrespectful to the golden globes event.
Take a look at the evidence below to see Monique’s appearance at various events:
http://stupidcelebrities.net/wp-content/MoNique_Has_Hairy_Legs_Photos.jpg
http://static.entertainmentwise.com/photos/Image/430hairylegsmoniwue.jpg
Whatever happen to freedom of expression? It seems like society these days are shooting women down that don’t follow the societal expectations for our gender.
Comment by Joanne S. — October 22, 2010 @ 2:29 pm
I find it absurd that armpits are getting photo-shopped, I think the next thing coming is making them smaller through plastic surgery. The publishers are making our “imperfections” stand out and cause us to stress and deal with ridiculous ideas.
Comment by Dalal C. — October 25, 2010 @ 11:57 pm
I have actually noticed this a couple years ago because I used to be insecure about my armpits, they were to dark due to shaving…luckily I no longer have those insecurities. I wonder when they started photo shopping the armpit?
Comment by Leora Sheily — April 19, 2011 @ 5:43 pm
I have definitely noticed some really weird photoshopped pictures, me and my best friend make it a game to try to find pictures in ads and magazines that are the most photoshopped. I don’t even get it, women already have to worry about being too fat, too dark, too pale, too hairy, and now they have to freak out about their armpits!?
Comment by Danielle G. — April 20, 2011 @ 7:59 pm
Why the armpit needs to even be considered during a photo shoot is beyond me. The industry is getting more and more out of hand soon things like elbows and knees are going to start being retouched.
Comment by Shawn S — June 1, 2011 @ 5:32 pm
These images of photo shopped underarms make it that much harder for women to fit the image of the “ideal” woman. Underarms are not one color, they are not smooth, and they don’t blend in with teh color of your arm. As if we didn’t have enough problems. These images give men and women an unrealistic image and makes them expect this when arms are lifted. NEWSFLASH: your in for a surprise.
Comment by Tiffany Majdipour — November 1, 2011 @ 12:32 pm
Oh my goodness, this armpit thing is so ridiculous. As if we don’t have enough things to watch out for but now, our armpits.
It’s so stupid. That picture of Kimora is so scary.
It really makes me scared for how bad it’s going to be for the later generations.
Comment by Michelle A — November 2, 2011 @ 4:04 pm
Wow, I’ve never noticed this trend before. I can’t even begin to describe how ridiculous this whole photo-shopping the armpit thing is. Not only are they trying to manipulate us into believing those images are real, now they are also trying to make us believe we don’t have armpits too!
Comment by Nicole S. — November 2, 2011 @ 7:39 pm
The trend of eliminating the presence of the armpit in such mainstream images is quite disturbing. I have never really thought about this serious issue until reading this highly thought-provoking post. Women’s armpits are very sensitive areas in which all sorts of glands and lymph nodes are present. If women begin to think that their armpits are distasteful, then there could be even more damage done to such a sensitive area of our bodies. Many of us, in an effort to eliminate odor and perspiration, already use mainstream deodorants that contain aluminum and a whole array of cancer causing chemicals – all of which are not good for women’s health.
In East Indian Ayurvedic medicine, the armpit is given quite a lot of healing attention. The armpit is an area of the body that is important to stretch and elongate through the practice of yoga, in order to promote healthy blood flow in the glands and in the entire lymph system. Thus, we need to recognize and protect these sensitive areas of our bodies and not be influenced into believing that our armpits are ugly or distasteful.
Comment by Nilu V. — November 6, 2011 @ 12:53 pm
It’s so sad when looking at the growing list of things that are deemed unsavory in the eye of the media. Why don’t they just use robot women and cut out the middle man? It’s incredibly difficult growing up in a world that expects you to even remotely resemble the women that splash the pages of the magazines, it is detrimental physically, mentally and emotionally. How are we supposed to begin to feel good about ourselves when we’re being told armpits are unnatural?
Comment by Nisha CM — January 18, 2012 @ 9:11 pm
I had never notice that armpits were being airbrushed. what is so wrong with having armpits? Do we really need something else to feel insecure about really? These magazines need to stop producing unrealistic views on women. They should just have cartoon characters on the cover since they don’t care what real women look like.
Comment by Mirian M — January 20, 2012 @ 5:26 pm
This article made me realize the increasing way in which mass media is constantly trying to change and enhance a women’s body in order to deem it more “beautiful” and socially acceptable. But, they have gone too far with this whole “armpit” thing. An armpit is a natural, normal part of a human body. In fact, these spreads that show the armpit being hidden seem very posed and rather uncomfortable. There is an extreme double standard when it comes to men in mass media posing with their “armpits” as this is even viewed as not only acceptable, but sexy and attractive. Also, I agree that there should be more “plus-sized” models on the covers of magazines. This is in fact the more prevalent body type and should be given equal if not more attention than the thousands of images of tall, thin models we see everyday and are compared to.
Comment by Camille Yona — January 29, 2012 @ 9:21 pm
What a silly concept that even an armpit is too much of an ‘interruption’ in the body that it needs to be smoothed over and forgotten. I’m pretty sure there is not a person in the world without an armpit and it’s ridiculous to try to pretend we don’t have them. This only leads me to question what will be next. Will we soon be erasing the bellybutton? Glossing over knees? At what point will we become one-dimensional figures on the page? Where we’re so featureless it looks as though vaseline has been smeared over the lens? This is just one more thing women have to look at and compare themselves to when perusing media images nowadays.
Comment by Antonia C. — January 30, 2012 @ 11:37 am
FAKE. That’s what the media wants from a woman. For her to be like barbie; an unrealistic image that no matter how they try, a REAL woman will never look like that. In that photo of Lady Gaga, she looks like a doll. They probably photshopped every little thing of her in that photo. Its ridiculous of how far the media has come that even armpits has to be photoshopped.
Comment by Kammira B — February 4, 2012 @ 3:05 pm
This is just another example of the type of world we live in nowadays. It is pretty ridiculous that even the most minimal part of our body such as our armpits seem to cause such a huge commotion in this image industry. Trying to make women look extremely perfect is rather making them look fake. Fake like a maniquin or better yet a Barbie. Why cant they just expose women like they really look? Wait, I know, because they would not gain the same amount of money, they want to gain not lose money by showing womens natural beauty. Photoshop is the best ally to having a perfect and ideal looking women within this society nowadays, who knows how far this is going to go.
Comment by Yesenia O — February 4, 2012 @ 5:27 pm
I think most magazine covers model’s bodies are fake because photoshop is very developed and they can fix whatever they want. They are using photoshop working for photo. Even me, when I am taking photo, I am using photoshop like easing my freckles, or making slam for arms and legs. Most photos are making unrealistic and these images are making inspiration to audiences.
Comment by Eun Hee Chung — February 4, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
I believe that there’s no unacceptable body part. All body parts are important for all human being. Although majority of people think bellybutton is unacceptable part, I personally think that belly button is the most sexiest part of the body.
Comment by Youjung An — February 4, 2012 @ 8:38 pm
People are following the trend of armpits. People use armpits in every magazine covers. However, they never think about that they will affect the trend of the whole society. They make girls are tired to follow the cover models.
Comment by Lam Yan Yee — February 4, 2012 @ 11:23 pm
The media is clearly shaping the minds of kids and teenagers these days and pretty much altering their views of how the human body. Yes, we all know photoshop exists… and yet we still continue to constantly buy and compare our own bodies to the altered images that are in these magazines. Altering something as small as the armpit, is one of the many reasons that most people in our generation today feel uncomfortable and self-conscious about their own bodies which should all be considered beautiful in their own way.
Comment by Gabriel Y. — February 5, 2012 @ 9:22 am
Wow why am I not surprised that the media has added another item onto this beauty list that women need to follow?!? Something as simple as armpits is now unacceptable and has to be altered with the use of the medias best friend, photoshop. This is so absurd, they might as well srart using dolls as their models because slowly by slowly human bodies aren’t good enough. This in turn leads men finding it hard to accept a real woman the way she should be portrayed which is what’s causing women to do anything to achieve these unattainable looks!
Comment by Rosemary A — February 5, 2012 @ 5:51 pm
This is over the top. It’s no surprise that media would go above and beyond to support such images. The reality that it is actually happening is scary. Always being so engaged with media I never noticed this armpit thing. This just shows what a threatening world we live in, especially as women. We have so many standards to live up to. And now we cannot go by without “perfect†armpits – or an armpit? This all just goes into play with accepting what a real woman is
Comment by Sahar S — February 6, 2012 @ 10:05 am
I am highly shocked to see the way that photoshop has spun out of control in the past few years. At one time this software was only used to make small adjustments to a person body not for the removal of entire sections of your body. To me seeing these ads is disgusting and makes me realize just how fake everyone and everything I see in the media is fake. For me I don’t see anything wrong with an underarm or an armpit. It’s just a part of your body like any other part and shouldn’t need to be edited out like this. I really hope marketers stop practices like this and let women’s bodies be how they are; unedited, unretouched and natural!
Comment by Rory O — February 6, 2012 @ 4:45 pm
I am surprised to learn that now they are doing Photoshop to erase the armpit. Really, I think that now they have taken to an extreme. I knew that majority or all the ad pictures were photo shopped but not they will make them looked even more fake with them making changes to an armpit’s would not be surprised if people start being more concerned about their armpits, especially because they do not look like the models one. However, in reality no ones armpits would naturally like that. I have never liked my armpits because if I shave them by the morning in the after I would have the black dots of the growing hair. However, I wonder if I am going to became more aware and worried regarding it. I honestly think that I will not be falling in that trend because I know that they are not real armpits.
Comment by Analila B. — March 11, 2012 @ 12:21 am
I was happy to see this post because I have noticed this trend too! Recently, I have been really fascinated with the beauty world that is online, meaning beauty “gurus†that uploaded videos onto YouTube teaching other girls about their “beauty secretsâ€. Thousands of girls watch these videos and are so wrapped up into what the latest trend is, and a trend I have seen some of these gurus talk about are ways to make your armpits look “prettyâ€. I have never really heard about this before until I started searching around and found that there are a lot of “Do it yourself, pretty armpit recipes†online. Before reading this post I couldn’t pin point why there was so much focus in the beauty community online on making your armpits look “niceâ€. Now I see it’s because girls around the world are seeing these images of celebrities and models in magazines with armpits that look just like their arms, smooth and all one color! But these images aren’t the truth. These celebrities and models are completely touched up on with Photoshop and now real girls in real life are being really hard on themselves for not being able to mimic these porcelain images in magazine spreads. I think that it was great for Britney Spears to reveal her untouched image compared to the one that was worked on and that Jessica Simpson wasn’t too afraid to be on the front cover on a magazine without makeup, but these examples are just so rare. Not enough women in pop culture are confident enough or willing to be seen as they really are so in return we get girls and women who are so unhappy with themselves because they are trying to reach an unreachable goal. I really hope in the future so will be able to see more naturalness in magazines and in media in general. -D.O.
Comment by Destiny O — March 15, 2012 @ 2:14 pm
I never really noticed this part of the body disappearing from women in photos or music videos. This is just gone too far. Not only does the women get edited from her face but to make her armpits just disappear is not right. I remember when I used to look at magazines when I was going through my weird teen days I told my mom I felt that my body was deformed because I did not look like Britney Spears. I don’t think I have ever seen a magazine in which a person is not photo shopped. The magazines that claim to show natural beauty is a total lie. I want to see magazines with women that I can look at an say WOW, She is truly beautiful. I feel that the photos with the celebrities with no armpits look really weird. I think the photo shopping and people in charge making these decisions will not change until people speak out. If celebrities allow this to continue without any say, then they will never stop.
Comment by Ana B — March 26, 2012 @ 10:49 am
I think it is appaling how women are disected for the male gaze. We are picked apart and then put back together in magazines. I had seen an article about a woman that was made up of other women’s parts. The editor in charge of the photoshopping decided to take the eyes from someone beautiful bet felt that they did not belong to the original face, so he put it together with someone elses nose, lips, cheeks, chin and hairline and presto! He had a perfect woman. What is aggravating is that I remember idolizing women in magazines when I was younger and would post pictures of them all over my room. I developed an eating disorder starting at the age of 9 going well through my early 20’s with a picture in my head that I had to look like these pictures. I never fully realized how much retouching and photoshopping goes into these images but it is frightening to think that when we thought it could not get any worse the media and those in “charge” have decided women do not need armpits because somehow that too is hideous to look at.
Comment by Nancy Rodriguez — March 28, 2012 @ 12:16 pm
When I look at women in magazines as a man I frequently don’t find them attractive. A woman needs to be a woman, her flaws should be owned and she should love her self. Women are beautiful beings in and of themselves and trying to alter and edit a picture is terribly sad. The armpit is a natural thing, its almost disgusting the amount of Photoshopping that is done to our stars. It is not real. Not only does this affect women’s ability to feel confident about their real and natural bodies but it also affects men’s ability to find a mate. As the public we are being trained to want women who are perfect, no belly fat, no arm pit hair, no zits, etc. This isn’t realistic and frankly women who are sticks aren’t sexual appealing to a man.
Comment by Mohit Sharma — March 28, 2012 @ 2:48 pm
Photoshop and air brushing have become a pheromone of the magazines , covering up pimples, cellulite, and wrinkles. I never know it would become this drastic and now it’s covering and brushing up the armpit. The idea that the media has only a one dimensional side of beauty has gone way too far. No one is perfect, everyone has flaws there is no need to cover up what make you, you.
Comment by Erica T — March 29, 2012 @ 10:49 am
Yes! Somebody makes that decision to say what looks right and what doesn’t. In my eyes, women have not come very far from being the repressed housewife to being sold as sex objects on T.V. and magazine covers. Women continue to be put out there as sex objects and to only please a man. Why else do these continue to be sold? It seems as though money means more to these women than respect. Do you think men respect that you have fake boobs and butt hanging out? As a woman, I don’t respect it.
Comment by Salina G — March 29, 2012 @ 10:22 pm
This trend is something that I first noticed back when I was in High School and I was watching a Beyonce video and I said to myself “Whoa her armpits are so smooth, what does she do to themâ€. Thus began my journey into researching moisturizing deodorants, loofahs, scrubs, laser hair removal. I even found out that some women were getting Botox injections in their armpits to reduce sweating. After I finished my extensive research into how was going to get my armpits to look just like Beyonces, (which as crazy as it seems to me now I was sincerely obsessed about it then) I found out that her armpits didn’t look as smooth as they appeared on TV in real life. I then began to become outraged that the media felt the need to Photoshop armpits and then I was ashamed that I allowed myself to fall victim to the social influences and pressures that the media is constantly inflicting on our society. The need to gloss over armpits is just ridiculous it sends the message to women that it has become yet another part of our anatomy to be ashamed of and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I wonder how this decision to eradicate the world of armpits came about. Who decided that armpits were just too hideous to look at on the female body, and more importantly why hasn’t someone within the media rebelled against this new norm. More people need to start speaking out about the over use of Photoshop before it gets so out of control and the bodies portrayed in the media stop resembling anything close to a real woman.
Comment by Ajalah T. — March 31, 2012 @ 9:15 pm
In the first place, it is very sad in reality that everything is very true. We see how media portrays in every celebrity life that enforces them to be a certain way in life. Not only it makes me wonder how these celebrities are feeling inside of themselves, but it makes me wonder if they are actually happy with themselves. This then relates how celebrities are not just doing this to themselves, but it shows how in today’s society, this is what we face everyday people trying to fit into society. What is so sad to me is that even people’s armpits are being a huge deal in the industry by having them a certain way. First, we see how people do surgery’s to have bigger boobs, or being butt, but when I read this, I thought this is ridiculous. When we see this happening, it makes me wonder what people come up with for a person to be criticize for any little scratch or birth mark that they might have. This is completely sad and awful how we don’t see the “natural beauty†within people in todays society since they are being so worried about what people are going to say about their body since they are going crazy with not having a “perfect body.†This then demonstrates how these celebrities don’t really know how a perfect body looks like since they are never happy with their body. We see how many men and women want to look “perfect†according to what they thing is a “perfect body†and then they really don’t realize how much make-up that leads them by looking extremely fake instead of perfect. At last, everyone want to look the best they can, but I believe looking the best, instead of looking “fake†are issues we are faced with daily people trying to look fake and updating photos using photo shop to impress other people that don’t acknowledge the true beauty a person could look by being themselves.
Comment by Alicia S. — April 3, 2012 @ 5:12 pm
I have honestly noticed this armpit ordeal many times and I have caught myself looking at the model, actress or singer and then looking at myself in the mirror lifting up my arm and saying to myself, “How come my armpit doesn’t look like that?” Ridiculous, I know but after reading this I can fully realize that there is retouching done on these photographs or videos and that women do not naturally look like that. It is very troubling to see that a body part can be deemed unacceptable, I mean they are a part of us! We do not choose the way they look, they just are what they are. I can promise now that I will no longer look from the model to myself and say “my armpit doesn’t look like that” because no ones do in reality. I am learning to love myself for what it is instead of comparing it to what is not real.
Comment by Jessica Serrano — April 4, 2012 @ 9:30 pm
I recently became aware of this trend when I noticed that models’ armpits had become either perfectly smooth or just Photoshoped. Of course it is Photoshop, but in fact it is true it gave me something else to worry about. Now not only do I have to be concerned with flawless skin, thinness, perfect hair, perfect breast but now I have armpits to worry about as well. The perfect image of beauty the media sells us has become impossible to achieve. We are spending tremendous amounts of money, time and energy trying to achieve those false images of beauty. Men are allowed to have wrinkles, flaws, and hair but in women that is sickening. We feel guilty and ashamed when we do not achieve that image. That impossible ideal is destroying society. Young girls and grown women suffer with mental illnesses, anorexia, and other illnesses when they become aware they cannot achieve that impossible ideal image.
Comment by lizbeth Hurtado — April 10, 2012 @ 8:48 pm
Wow! I never even noticed this in advertisements but I think I might start paying more attention. I have to admit when I look at magazines I always think the reason I can’t look “this good” is because I don’t have the money to buy expensive products or I don’t have the expertise to create these looks. I guess now I should really think, “the reason I can’t seem to look like this is because I can’t walk around the world photo finished and touched up.” It really irritates me when I hear the media picking on celebrities for being fat or old looking or anything else for that matter. When I see people making Jessica Simpson’s “fat picture” the latest breaking news I think to myself gosh I know how badly I feel when I see a photo where I was over relaxed and look fat. I can only imagine how bad celebrities must feel when people criticize them so harshly. I have always felt arm pits are not the most beautiful body part but it really annoys me that they have totally made them disappear. It makes me think of all the products, treatments, techniques, and even surgeries women go through to try and achieve a look that is literally impossible to achieve.
Comment by Patrina C — April 14, 2012 @ 6:56 pm
All that I can say is that I am truly disgusted at the lengths that the media and people go to in order to make these people in magazines look “perfectâ€. Unfortunately by photo shopping to the lengths that they do shows that nobody is perfect and that by photo shopping it the way they do is what is known to be “perfectâ€. I’ve always thought when looking at pictures in ads that the armpits look funny, like maybe it’s not shaped properly, but now I see that it’s just not existent in those types of pictures. Just as the article mentioned this is just another thing added to the list to photo shop. Unfortunately men don’t have to go through the same list when it comes to photo shopping and ads. For men in society, it’s as though aging for them is sexy and attractive, but for women it’s not. Thus men are able to take pictures and not worry about photo shop. This causes a problem for women because it makes us think “I want to look like that†and “What can I do to be that wayâ€. This is the gateway to problems like dieting, eating disorders, and going to extreme lengths to attempt to be like the pictures in the magazines. Society is taught that looking that way is the norm and that’s what women are supposed to look like, though we all know it’s not possible or true whatsoever. Unfortunately we are living in a very shallow world in some ways.
Comment by CandaceR — April 15, 2012 @ 8:00 pm
We are emeresed in a cesspool of media messages telling us that we are not right, there is something wrong with us, that we could be better, that we need to be “better.” I thought that after years of my own recovery journey with eating disorders and body image issues, it would be easy to spot and stave off negative messages through different forms of media and advertising, but that hasn’t been the case. As aware as I feel I have become, I am definitely susceptible to the tricks that advertisers are using. I have seen how quickly my “decerning” eye can fall back into a familiar place of blind acceptance of what I am viewing, and that it is “right,” and something to strive for. It seems as though advertisers have no limits when it comes to selling us an item or lifestyle. So, it worries me, being someone who has worked really hard to attain recovery and health from an eating disorder, that if I am still deep in the trenches of armpit-less imagery, what is in store for our young girls today?
Comment by Natalie P. — April 16, 2012 @ 9:24 pm
Publishing has taken ethic to a newer level. In my opinion as a journalist, it is unethical to retouch an image sending false pretenses to the audience. At one point in time, I even looked at magazine covers and wondered how come these “covergirls” had no armpits. It was like they had no razor bump or anything typical. It is insane that publishers use severe editing to enhance women and do little to nothing for me. This is why so many women are comfortable and seeking “grungy” men. Because the media has deemed it to be acceptable for men to have flaws. However, with the heavy regulation on women about beauty, and the falsity of the images produced of women through the media… men find it unacceptable for women to have flaws. This again attributes to the lack of self-esteem in women and why so many place themselves under high scrutiny because they feel as if they do not fit the characteristics of beauty.
Comment by Brandy S. — April 16, 2012 @ 10:39 pm
After reading this i found myself a culprit for trying to achieve the perfect armpit. I think it’s funny that I, along with many other people I hope, try to master the art of the flawless pit! When i asked myself why I spend so much time on trying to obtain the impossible, instantly an airbrushed image of a celebrity or random model at that, pops up in my head. I am almost embarrassed to say that I am doing exactly what a team of marketing geniuses want me to do. I know the image of that hairless, subtle- free pit has gone through hours of computer retouch, but subconciously I still believe i can achieve such an arm pit.
The media is constantly telling you no, and offering you products that will make you a yes! Thats the goal, money, and apparently attacking your self esteem. It just so happens that displaying an image of a glorified celebrity will speed up the process.
I think this issue becomes a big deal when we are more worried about buying some super technologically advanced razor that will give us armpits as “photo-shopped” as Kim Kardashian, rather than where our next meal may come from.
Comment by Raven G — April 18, 2012 @ 6:15 pm
WOW. Maybe I was being naive, but I never thought that underarms were airbrushed I really would think to myself why my underarms didn’t look like what I saw on TV and magazines. Makes me wonder what, if anything is left untouched in tje media. I get that it’s unattractive, I think underarms and cellulite and visible veins and body/facial hair is ugly, but I am also fully aware that it’s realty. On the other hand, I think that media are not only telling us that it’s unattractive, but that it’s not a real part of the woman, and this is what is enraging. I wonder what body part will be next? Goodness, I am so glad I’m married- I won’t have to worry about first impressons on a guy who’s mind is so badly skewed. 🙂
Comment by FabiolaP — April 22, 2012 @ 4:00 pm
It is so strange to me that armpits are now the new victims of photo retouching. Its just another body part to add to the list of parts that women already feel they need to be self-conscious about. I have never even thought to look at armpits and think of them as beautiful or not. They are a body part that everyone has and why should it even be an issue! It seems like there is a never ending list of things women need to worry about and make sure they are perfect at all times. I can’t even begin to imagine that type of damage these kinds of things will do to young girls that are highly influenced by these magazines etc. It is sad that women must always feel that they are not good enough even just in their own bodies.
Comment by Kristin F — April 23, 2012 @ 12:17 pm
When I read this article of the whole photo shopping of body parts one cover came to mind quickly. The one photo shopped magazine I just felt ashamed of was the one on Adele in Vogue. Now that is what I call a photo shop disaster. We all know Adele has a beautiful voice but we also know she is not a size zero. However, in the Vogue magazine cover Adele is so photo shopped she can pass by as Kim Kardashian’s sister. I was so proud of Adele when she swept all six Grammy’s because all of her opponents were skinny and thought their sexual videos would win them a Grammy. Adele proved to everyone that sex sells videos aren’t what make a good artist. Another reason why I was proud of Adele was because she got called fat by a famous designer and she stood up for herself. However, after seeing the magazine cover I just questioned myself, does she know about this and how can she allow something like this to happen? It is clearly that the magazine is stating being skinny is beautiful.
http://www.whydidyouwearthat.com/2012/02/15/would-you-wednesday-photoshop-foolery/whydid-adele-vogue-cover-photoshop/
Comment by Jovanna G — April 24, 2012 @ 10:28 pm
I never really noticed them Photoshop armpits before, but now that I do, I feel like we have stooped to a new low. The fact that body parts are literally being wiped out in order to maintain “beauty” standards is really shocking. Another point mentioned in the article that I strongly agree with is that there is a huge deal made when someone steps out of the “norm of beauty”, such as Jessica Simpson not wearing makeup or a model showing a little bit of her belly. I think we should all EXPECT this type of change for it to actually occur. Rather than being shocked with natural beauty in the media, we should be shocked by replicated and Photoshopped beauty. It really surprises me that the media has literally found every way to make people feel insecure about themselves. The last point I would like to make is that there is a double standard in the media, just as the Leonardo DiCaprio point was mentioned. A man can go with wrinkles and a whole bunch of other imperfections, while females must be touched and retouched to make the “perfect” image.
Comment by Benjamin B — April 25, 2012 @ 9:01 am
I have never really thought about why I thought my under arms didn’t look perfect but this makes sense. The under arms i’m seeing in the media are not discolored, no red razor bumps and they simply don’t have any pores. Well that should be easy to change, right? These images we are being told are beautiful are not even REAL. It seems so draining to keep trying to look like all these images that are photo shopped. We are never going to be able to attain these looks yet we will keep on trying because society is telling us we will be liked and accepted when we look like this.
Comment by Heather S. — April 26, 2012 @ 8:39 pm
5. When I noticed that all celebrities had perfectly clean armpits, I quickly questioned myself “why are my armpits dirty and dark compare to them? What am I doing wrong?†I felt like it was another thing that I had to work on, not only did I have to work on losing weight, having perfect healthy hair, but now I had to have clean armpits. There was a time when I only wore t shirts because I was not confident to wear spaghetti straps, in fear of revealing my imperfect and unclean armpits. But I realized that these photos were Photoshop and that nobody around me had the same armpits as these celebrities, but they had them exactly like me. Recently I saw that Dove (I believe) came out with a line of deodorant that will help make your armpits lighter. Here is another item that will help us fix our imperfections. It is sad to see that now our armpits are being targeted as something that should be fixed.
Comment by DeniseF — April 27, 2012 @ 12:17 am
Not going to lie, I’m not a fan of my own armpit. But the fact that these photographers are mutilating the armpit is disturbing. I just Google-ed some images of celebs and armpits. What came up is scary. Most of the celebs have armpits of a baby. Fresh and clean to the point that it looks like hair has never grown in that area. And we all know that after a while of re-shaving that area or waxing it does get a little bit darker and bumpy looking. But I the rich are born with perfect armpits. I wonder what other human born body part is next to get the boot. The ears are another popular one. Where photographs either shrink them of hide them. The media is showing us that our imperfections can be changed or hidden for our profit.
Comment by Yadira DiSiena — April 27, 2012 @ 6:05 pm
There are many body parts that i have felt insecure but never have i thought to myself,”Damn, my arm pits are hideous.” Why can’t women be left to live in peace? It seems like the demands from society are getting more and more ridiculous every time. The purpose of arm pits are for cooling off not to attract the opposite sex. I have to admit that although I’ve never considered myself as less attractive because of the way my armpits look I have always questioned why celebrities in magazine ads don’t have armpits like mine. It’s natural for arm pits to have a dark tint yet normal looking armpits have been “deemed as far too hideous for public consumption.” I have heard of women getting rid of their armpit hair with laser hair removal. Changing and enhancing your body is not going make you happier. More women need to realize that happiness will come when you become self accepting and self loving.
Comment by Gaby Valencia — April 29, 2012 @ 1:45 pm
Really? Armpits? When I think about the fact that we have to Photoshop armpits and pretty much make them not exist on a women is getting a little bit to much to handle. I just keep thinking whats going to be next. Are knee caps going to be photo-shopped out of things now. Like come on who gives a crap about armpits. I know we all open a magazine and our first thought is to check and see if they have nice armpits! These poor girls just keep getting slammed with things that we need to be cautious of that at some point there wont be a single part on our bodies that won’t cause insecurities. And the fact that men don’t get attacked with Photoshop nearly as much as women do just goes to show that the double standard is not any where close to being eliminated.Sad.
Comment by Candice G. — April 29, 2012 @ 11:15 pm
I think there’s more pressure for women to look less natural and more sexy thanks to media standards. Men can be hairy, dirty, hairless, and even sometimes fat and still come off sexy. Sex is a business and people will do what ever to make money regardless of whose feeling pressured or oppressed. If the culture deems these superficial images of celebrities as sexy,and a standard then individuals needs to open their eyes and realize that it’s not natural. I personally think it takes a lot effort to live in the shoes of women. So many duties and routines women have to perform in their everyday lives (make up, brush hair, shave, etc).I believe women should have the freedom to express themselves on how they want to look. “What ever floats your boat”.
Comment by Oscar M — April 30, 2012 @ 3:07 pm
Let’s keep on adding to all the Imperfections women have and must fix. Not to long ago i was looking for my wedding dress and I was being absolutely hard on myself. I wanted something that had sleeves so I wouldn’t show my discoloration on my armpits. No luck finding a dress with sleeves until finally i said what the heck am i stressing over my armpits. Everyone out there also has imperfections i am not the only one. I would always be so amazed on all these celebrities and how their armpits were so clean with nothing to be ashamed about. How do they maintain themselves so neat? What am I doing wrong? Duh, its all photoshop!!! Without photoshop no miracles would be granted to all the celebs! I would love to see the real them am sure they would be scary looking all around ..
Comment by Angelica Oseguera — April 30, 2012 @ 6:16 pm
Everyone has armpits. EVERYONE. Why photoshop it to look like they don’t exist? What is wrong with armpits? Like seriously, what the hell. I can’t even get over the fact that someone came up with the idea to do this. It’s just like the bellybutton thing. Everyone has one, but someone somewhere decided to completely delete them out of photos. Are women not human enough to have these things? I mean we were made “in the image of a man”. Maybe man wants these body parts back. They don’t in any way look ugly. These are natural things on our bodies. It’s not like eliminating wrinkles, or thinning someone out. We are being picked apart one little body part at a time. We aren’t even good enough to share body parts with men apparently, because they get to keep them in their pictures. What is this world coming to? What’s next, erasing feet from our pictures too?
Comment by Katy S — April 30, 2012 @ 8:50 pm
I thought it was bad enough removing all the other imperfections from a women with photoshop but armpits being removed or smothed out to look better i think thats rediculous. All this is doing is just adding more things to the list that women or young gicrls feel like they have to fix about themselves. I amde this coment on the other blog about belly buttons as well and that was “how much more can you really fix with photoshop?” Once again we are looking at images that are not real, however when young girls look at these images they are not aware of that and do anything to try to achive the goal of looking that way. Now besides worrying about there hips, thigs, legs ect. they also have to worry about their armpits as well.
Comment by Luis G. — April 30, 2012 @ 11:25 pm
As if women didn’t have enough to worry about, now we have to worry about our armpits. Airbrushing and Photoshop are so common that it’s almost unrealistic to look at a picture on a magazine and view it in its natural untouched state. Women are constantly bombarded with images of what’s beautiful and what we should strive for, however the standards are getting increasingly difficult and impossible to achieve. Magazine editors really are going to a new level, now women are expected to have non-existent armpits! It’s not like exercise or even a surgery can achieve this new standard for armpits, it’s pretty much impossible for women to eliminate their armpits and look like Kim Kardashian does in a magazine. It’s so sad because most people will look at these magazine covers and think its natural and common for women to have armpits that look like this, when in reality it’s pretty rare. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “dark†armpits are seen as ugly whereas white and invisible armpits are considered “beautiful and normalâ€. I think it’s sad more and more body parts in women are becoming scrutinized, what’s worse is that hardly anyone questions these standards for beauty media is creating.
Comment by Scarlett G — May 1, 2012 @ 12:41 pm
Who ever thought that an armpit could be considered so unattractive? This new trend has definitely surfaced, and has become the mainstream norm. A few of my girlfriends refuse to wear tank tops, swimsuits, or anything that reveals their underarms to the world. I cannot believe that women are now being made to feel insecure about their armpits! The amount of photo-shop in images, and advertisements really baffle me. Who makes these decisions, and who photoshops these images? Men and women are being subconsciously tricked into thinking these images are real, that they are normative. How are we able to efficiently judge people when we are comparing real life people to fake images? Men and women are now only finding these fantasy images appealing. This can be very damaging to women especially. While men may not find many real life women attractive, women are hating themselves, and their bodies. The damaging effects of the media continue to amaze me, I wonder what body part they will photoshop next!
Comment by Deirdre D. — May 1, 2012 @ 8:14 pm
I can honestly say I hadn’t noticed this new trend in the Photoshop world. I guess this is so because I don’t pay much attention to every body parts in ads and media, but its pretty interesting to read that more and more female body parts are retouched and edited in order to reach “perfectionâ€. I wouldn’t have figured that an armpit would need retouching; I thought shaving your armpit was fine enough, but now it needs to be edited. This increasing list of female body parts that are retouched are redefining an ideal of beauty and reinforcing an ideal of perfection that is unattainable. In effect, women are affected in the way they see themselves as a comparison to women in the social media.
Comment by Cynthia M. — May 2, 2012 @ 11:50 am
I can honestly say I hadn’t noticed this new trend in the Photoshop world. I guess this is so because I don’t pay much attention to every body parts in ads and media, but its pretty interesting to read that more and more female body parts are retouched and edited in order to reach “perfectionâ€. I wouldn’t have figured that an armpit would need retouching; I thought shaving your armpit was fine enough, but now it needs to be edited. This increasing list of female body parts that are retouched are redefining an ideal of beauty and reinforcing an ideal of perfection that is unattainable. In effect, women are affected in the way they see themselves as a comparison to women in the social media.
Comment by Cynthia M. — May 2, 2012 @ 11:50 am
I’m not going to lie, I don’t believe I will ever fully understand the insecurities of women who Photoshop things out of their pictures or will I understand why companies change so much about these women on covers of magazines and ads. It was a little strange when pointed out that these women no longer have arm pits in these photos, I hadn’t even noticed that before and I believe that is what the ad companies were going for when printing these pictures. I am glad that someone brought this to my attention so that I could add to my already negative ideals on magazine covers like these to where they only show beautiful skinny photo shopped women that if you “buy this magazine and follow these six steps you can look like this too†ad. It is a little ridiculous the amount of things that are cut out and air brushed to make look better but I would have never thought of arm pits as being one of them. I mean where does it end? They are slowly starting to get rid of all the body’s natural features, it’s not like someone with arms can actually live without an arm pit, what body part are they going to cut out next?
Comment by Kincaidw — May 2, 2012 @ 11:07 pm
I don’t see why we even need celebrities. If we can use photoshop to make people why bother having real people. The media photoshops everything to the smallest deatail. Advertisers should have to give some type warning message or caption on their ads citing that not everything in the image that is seen is true or real.
Comment by AL P — May 8, 2012 @ 9:53 am
I never really noticed this trend until now. It is interesting to see what the media and magazines are willing to photoshop on women to make them seem “perfect” or “desirable”. It seems ridiculous though to make something as small and natural as an armpit needing to look acceptable. They are trying to mold women into these models that are almost unobtainable for any “normal” person to obtain.
Comment by Kristin Singleton — May 8, 2012 @ 1:23 pm
What, you don’t think that image of that plus-sized model is airbrushed to the nines? She may be larger but you can still see that her legs and face have been ‘shopped I’m willing to bet that her hair has as well. Heck, she doesn’t even have a shadow!
Pot, meet kettle.
Comment by Erin H — May 9, 2012 @ 9:50 pm
This article literally made me laugh out loud. Who decided that the armpit was now unacceptable? This just sheds light on how unrealistic media potrayals of women really are. I dont care if you just shaved or lasered your armpit two minutes ago, nobody’s armpit looks like that. No armpit is perfect and nor should it be perfect.As women we need to embrace ourselves and our bodies as they are, imperfect armpits and all.
Comment by Sophia S. — May 10, 2012 @ 10:53 pm
I think it is embarrassing to Photoshop one’s armpit. Looking at those pictures it doesn’t look appealing and unnatural. Who care about any one’s armpits? I mean at longest it clean and shave it’s all that matter should matter. The media and the magazines are going to far with this one. Yes, I do agree that there should me more celebrities that don’t care about their armpits and just posing natural without being photoshoped. I think being natural without hiding the flaws is the beauty of being unique.
Comment by Karen Acevedo — May 11, 2012 @ 10:08 am
To be quite straightforward, I have never really taken notice to this new trend. I was unaware that the underarms of models and actresses were being photoshopped at such an alarming rate. The primary reason why I failed to recognize this trend is probably due to my own insecurities about my armpits. Many may disregard my self-consciousness as trivial in comparison to all of the other problems people are afflicted with. I realize that I am being pretentious by concerning myself with this petty matter, but it truly has always caused me anguish. I have even resorted to visiting my dermotologist in hopes of finding a resolution for my slightly discolored underarms. To this day, I will not raise my arms up and expose my armpits because I find them very off-putting. I understand the apprehension models and actresses may face when they are asked to show their armpits. Personally, I would appreciate my armpits being photoshopped due to my intense dissatisfaction. Nonetheless, the portrayal of women in their most natural state would most likely ameliorate some of the damage that has been incurred as a result of over the top editing. Witnessing my favorite celebrity with her imperfect armpits in an ad campaign could possibly serve as the impetus I need to overcome my self-doubt. Inarguably, the media’s use of photoshop has been used in a grossly exaggerated fashion. At what point does it become false advertisement? No one has flawless skin without the help of a little airbrushing. Editing sells products, but simultaneously sustains lies and fabrication. Photoshop has given the media an indelible source of power; I pray that it is not too late to eradicate some of the havoc it has perpetuated for decades.
Comment by Nicole Z. — May 11, 2012 @ 5:16 pm
I have actually noticed this too and it is absolutely ridiculous. The media finds a new thing to fix all the time. They fix things that did not need to be fixed in the first place. Armpits are a natural thing that EVERY single person has. I do not understand. Are ears going to be removed next?? This just shows how corrupt the media is and what a poor sense of reality these companies have. Removing something such as cellulite is slightly more understandable because some people actually do not have cellulite; however, removing something that everyone has such as armpits is ridiculous. This sends out a horrible message to girls, because it makes it seem like there is always something wrong with us, and that we can never be perfect. Some girls might not realize how much photo-shopping goes on, and they might actually compare themselves to the models and celebrities in the images. It is also recently that Dove has come out with new deodorants promising smoother or more even toned underarms, and I wonder if they would have created these products even without ads like these. I am disgusted to see how far the media has gone with its photo-shopping and I really hope this ends.
Comment by Nicole D — May 11, 2012 @ 5:58 pm
This is definitely getting ridiculous. The crazy thing is that I didn’t notice these armpits were airbrushed until it was brought to my attention. I have friends who are doing lightening treatments to their armpits currently. Their insecurity and desire to “fix themselves†was probably in part, related to the media and lack of “real†armpit exposure. Honestly what is the world coming to? When people think celebrity news is real news, and armpits are being removed from media photos. These trends are ridiculous and are brainwashing society to be ignorant drones. Worrying more about looking perfect then the important things in life. That is why there are so many people, especially in LA, who go buy the Mercedes, but do not have any money left to put gas in the car. The media needs to be stopped. In other countries it is not like this. In France commercial time is cut down and only in certain segments of the day and celebrities are protected by privacy laws and are not constantly being photographed by paparazzi. And the people in France are concerned with world news and current events. Not what some celebrity with a baby named after a fruit did at the Grove.
Comment by S.Lockey — May 11, 2012 @ 10:51 pm
I never really noticed anything, until this article pointed it out. This type of editing things out of pictures puts an unreasonable request for women to hold up to. Women who look at these magazines see these women as the standard that you must live up to, but those women are not even themselves on the covers. Working in a Starbucks, I have meet a few famous people and I always thought there is something weird about them when I see them in public. What I noticed is that they just look a lot more normal and down to earth that they do in those magazine covers.
Comment by Matthew Smit — May 12, 2012 @ 1:28 pm
This is a trend that has been spreading like wildfire between my friends and I. After seeing an episode of Keeping up With the Kardashians where the sisters were getting laser hair removal, i started to question if that was the reason why their armpits looked so good. Images like these foster feelings of insecurity from people who see them because it heightens the standard of beauty that we are all trying to live up to. Its sad to say i have been on the market for an armpit lightening treatment. “You are your toughest criticâ€. Especially when the people your society hold in high regard (celebrities) look NOTHIGN like you.
Comment by Corrin M. — May 13, 2012 @ 6:02 pm
That is so crazy to think now there is another body part that women should feel self-consious about. not only should we think about our bodies but also maintaing out hair and nails and feet and looking tan, but now we have to make sure our armpits aren’t hairy and are smooth. after i saw the picture of anne hathaway i didn’t really notice her missing the armpit until i read this article. it is crazy because there really is not pit. it is just a smooth flat surface under her arm. i wish we did not retouch photos so much because there is not woman that will ever look like this. no woman will ever not have an armpit. i bet in about 15 years, girls will be getting armpit surgery to remove the pit under their arms.
Comment by Alina Bergelson — May 25, 2012 @ 2:20 pm
Armpits. It has come down to armpits. I understand armpit hair being called unattractive but the existence of even a cleanly shaven armpit? Why magazines just put a head with no neck on a big pair of boobs and legs? What next are belly buttons going to be called “ugly” too in the future? I’m sick of the media calling everything ugly and tightening the scope of what is considered beautiful. As if girls are not insecure enough about the standard body types but armpits are now the newest addition.
Comment by Melody S. — May 27, 2012 @ 8:11 pm
We know hairy armpits are associated with feminism, and thats one of the main reasons people do not want to call themselves feminists. I can only assume that by magazine editors taking out the armpits of their models that they are trying to take out old feminist traits and therefore thinking.
When young girls look at these magazine models and see women without armpits, they will begin to become socialized to think armpits are something forbidden, something dirty and not to be mentioned. It is just one more trait among a great number that are becoming unnatractive on women.
The sadest part of all unfortunatly,is that I believe so many other girls and boys like myself do not even realize that a piece of a woman is missing. We have already become so accustomed to the edits and modifications magazines make to their models.
Comment by Carmelle C. — May 29, 2012 @ 3:41 pm
The reason I was so interested in this article was because I am extremely insecure about my armpits. The last 2 years I have been obsessed with making them smooth. Never did I think that it was because these images of women with perfect armpits, actually no armpits at all, made me feel like my armpits were not acceptable. When I was young I had difficulty finding a deodorant that would fit me. Most deodorants made my skin irritated and left me rashes. I went a year testing deodorants until I found one that fit. Sadly, these rashes left my underarms a bit darker than my actual skin color. I never really cared for it until 2 years ago. It was then when I went on a frenzy trying to make my armpits smooth and even tone. I spent countless amount of money on products that promised to “fix” my armpits. Of course most didn’t work. I want perfect armpits because I have been comparing them to women’s armpits that don’t even have armpits.
Comment by yessica pastor — May 29, 2012 @ 11:24 pm
I don’t think many people realize that women on magazine covers or anywhere in the magazine get photoshopped like crazy that its not even them anymore. But if you know they are photoshopped a little you don’t expect them to photoshop armpits to make them look flawless. Since armpits with hair are considered being a feminist companies want to take every possible feminist trait out of the women because femininity is devalued in our patriarchal society. Our overall goal is to turn women into a perfect doll/object for men to do whatever with, thats where the photoshop and flawlessness comes in.
Comment by Sarah Vincent — May 30, 2012 @ 12:10 pm
What happened to the armpits? There is no stubble from the razor whatsoever. I don’t understand why an armpit has to be flawless. Come on media, are women that imperfect that you have to go as far and exploit their armpits. Media, you are just giving women one more reason to hate themselves.
Comment by Mary Marrone — May 30, 2012 @ 3:26 pm
I found this article extremely shocking and interesting. My younger sister asked me how to get flawless armpits a while back. I looked at her and started laughing so hard when she asked me about this, but now I realize what she’s talking about. These women portrayed on these magazines have no hair, marks, essentially no armpits. This is what my sister was trying to establish as she kept buying different razors, tried waxing, and bought different deodorants. This is scary because one can only wonder what the media will force young people to do next.
Comment by Yasmine T. — May 30, 2012 @ 3:27 pm
Rachel, I totally agree with you. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense for men to be able to wear their stubble on the cover of a magazine but if it is known that women have armpits, it’s a disaster. I do feel uncomfortable with my stubble…don’t get me wrong. But,I blame it completely on our society. Women are grown believing that they need to be perfect and hairless (a hard standard to live up to). Our patriarchal society deems that women need to be this way to be valued or seen in our communit. To me, this does not make any sense. We need to change our standards because I know way too many girls who are uncomfortable with their body images, which as a result, ruins a girl’s self-esteem.
Comment by Sharona M — May 31, 2012 @ 12:07 am
Its crazy how armpits have become such a big deal for photo shop. You wouldn’t think an area that is barely even seen is considered a target place for perfection. This is ridiculous and at this point women should just give up on life, they are seen as imperfect beings that are never good enough! this is why many young women across the globe are suffering from eating and other mental disorders.
Comment by PanteaP — November 4, 2012 @ 9:24 am
Now I know where my dislike and distaste for my own armpits comes from. I thought it came from my sister asking me why it was always so dark and bumpy there even when I had just waxed or shaved. I guess she got the notion of perfectly smooth underarms from these magazines and then put it toward me. It is incredibly difficult to have smooth armpits, and that statement alone is saddening… There are clearly more important things to worry about than how dark my underarms are from shaving, but sadly with our constant exposure to photoshopped women with perfect armpits, even that is now something women have to worry about within our patriarchy. It is our society that dictates the way we should look by presenting the images of beauty in advertising, magazines and music videos. Women have to be plucked, waxed, tweezed and shaved to be the idealistic hairless beauties that are so commonly portrayed to be in existence. Yet men, they are perfect the way they are… naturally hairy, even a little body odor is fine. That “musk” sent is attractive and welcomed by our society because we live in a patriarchy. The dominant ideals and values come from the system in which we live. I just never would’ve even considered why I find my armpits as something to be ashamed of had I not been exposed to this article. This idea, as well, is frightening in itself. I would’ve never noticed that this body part was missing and I would continue looking at my own armpits wondering what I could do to make them look as flawless as they do in magazines.
Comment by NeginS — November 4, 2012 @ 3:12 pm
The tendency seems to be for womens bodies to be portrayed as les and less human. Body hair is a distinclty human phenomenon. However, it seems to break up the perfect lines that the public it tought to expect from its models. Ideal feminine beauty is somewhat arbitrary, and there are trends and countertrends with regaurd to how a woman’s body is expected to look. Anything that disappoints our learned expectations is monstrous and unfeminine. Anything that meets with those expectations we have been socialized to have will be considored admerable and attractive, even if it is inhuman, unhealthy,uncomfortable, or unrealistic.
Comment by MansourR — November 4, 2012 @ 3:45 pm
in my opinion i thought that i was wrong for big media fashion indusrties and photo editors to crop out women feminine traits. Because no one is perfect and that’s just life and what comes with human attributes women and males.So i really that thought it was wrong and unhumine for big media fashion companies and photo editors to have deem the idea of having armpit hair as uncompletely unnacceptable and hideous to our our society and genera public. Because thats just human and normal for our bodies to have women and male no matter what gender you are.
Comment by Danny S — November 7, 2012 @ 10:36 am
In my opinion i thought that it was wrong for big fashion industry companies and photo editors to crop out all feminine traits. Because no one is perfect and thats just life and normal attributes that are included in the human body women and male. So i really thought that it was wrong and unhumine like for them to do so. And were absolutely wrong for them to have deemed the idea of having body hair and finding it unacceptable and hideous to our society and general public.
Comment by Danny S — November 7, 2012 @ 10:54 am
The media has the power the convince consumers of a lot of things. But armpits, really? I hate how the media can take something so natural like having a shadow underneath your armpit, and make it something that is considered unhygienic and unfeminine. The media will never stop giving women new body parts to be concerned about, and that is just the reality of it. They will continue to convince the public that this body part is offensive, your hair should look like this, and the list goes on. The media is completely responsible for the crippling low self esteem women find themselves having. Media literacy needs to be encouraged in schools and the work place in order for things to change. Consumers underestimate the power they have. Being aware that these photoshopped images are NOT reality is the first step to exposing the media for who they really are, self-interested money-hungry crooks.
Comment by Jasmine B (Women Studies 10 scholars t,th) — November 18, 2012 @ 4:43 pm
I find it odd how much attention they give to armpits. This not only make women look bad, but it is also a reflection of what our society has come to. This proves to people that regardless of what you look like there is always something that you need to change about yourself. If you look like a Fall-Seasonal model and then look different from a Winter-Seasonal model, you’ll be brainwashed in believing that you have to change yourself to fit that image. Regardless of what it is, this articles has showed me that media editors will go as far as making armpits, a main component in fashion. This gives women insecurity for something that doesn’t even matter. I blame both the media and the girls who listen to them for doing these stupid acts. It’s the girls fault for giving the media the opportunity to change them and it’s also the media’s fault for changing girls. Hopefully the day will come when women won’t read this garbage and pick up a book instead.
Comment by Alexander K (Wom.10 Scholars) — November 18, 2012 @ 7:05 pm
The media is really going to criticize women about their armpits, a body part that is not even exposed or revealed to anyone? The media photoshops such insignificant factors to a woman’s worth and as a society, we wonder why suicide is increasing. This is the exact reason! Women have literally been criticized for every single body type from rolls on tummies, to having the right curves in the right places, to having no pubic hair. Right at the point when we thought almost everything that could possibly be criticized and fixed would be done, armpits are brought up and photoshopped to make women all around the world feel as though their armpits need to look like a young girls. Just like how the media also feels that vaginas should have no pubic hair and resemble those of a young girl as well. Society has made it so the younger one looks, the more attractive she is. This is disgusting in many ways in that a man cannot be attracted to a real woman with a real body.
Comment by Tiffany S. — November 28, 2012 @ 11:17 am
This article was CRAZY for me to read. My sister has really thick armpit hair and her entire life evolves around when she can show her armpits. It is so thick that it is difficult for her to shave, so she has to time her armpit situation to go swimming, wear a certain dress, wear a sleeveless shirt, etc, etc. She is now at the point where she got her first laser treatment and was in AGONY, but is going to do it anyway so she can have a life. It’s so sad that we all have to pretend that we don’t have armpit hair… to the point where the media is completely erasing it. I never even noticed that….I just went to look in my magazines, and lo and behold, no armpit hair anywhere……When will we just get to be who we are???
Comment by Ellie G — November 28, 2012 @ 3:16 pm
The media greatly contributes to the lives of women and young girls. They cultivate young girls with images of women that are “beautiful” and acceptable to society. By Photoshopping the armpits of the models, they are sending the message that women’s armpits are ugly and not acceptable, that they have to be removed. This contributes to the many plastic surgeries that occur on young girls and the many body dysmorphia and eating disorders that come up. I think that its absurd that armpits are being photoshopped out of pictures.
Comment by Angella F — December 2, 2012 @ 10:32 pm
Wow, I never noticed that they have started to take the armpit out. It’s ridiculous how the media photo shops basically the whole picture. By looking at where the armpit is supposed to be, it looks weird clearly something is missing. I don’t understand why the media has to take out body parts that everyone has. I think real pictures need to be published and not be seen as a huge deal; after all we see real people every day yet people choose to reject the real and want the fake. Society is extremely hard on women it is always telling us that we are not good enough we need stop accepting the fake images they show us and demand real images because by taking away the parts that make us human they are dehumanizing us. By publishing photo shopped images that are unrealistic individuals start setting unrealistic standards for themselves and will feel worse about themselves because they don’t look like the images in the media.
Comment by WendyA — December 3, 2012 @ 8:06 pm
ARMPITS?? that is just bizarre. i have never herd of armpits being a flaw on a women or mans body. I have never herd a guy say “there is no way i would date her, she has ugly armpits” this article almost sounds fake to me. There is no acceptable body part on a women. Media does not like to portray “Real” women. everything must be modified to perfection. example…Barbie Doll.
Comment by Kevin Y — December 3, 2012 @ 8:12 pm
While are women are portrayed as forever young they are now also depicting them as aliens. When will we see flaws that are so acceptable for men to have, such as gray hair, wrinkles, armpits, bags under their eyes, etc. Women are constantly told that getting old is bad, yet it is the path of nature every living thing must go through. Why can’t we all remember this? Instead of understand growth and admiring it we are trying to erase it. Once little girls get older they will be very disappointed because of this current cultivation of society. They won’t be able to meet these standards of no armpits, cellulite, blemishes, etc. and will be torn apart. If women now suffer from great depression because they blame themselves for not looking like a “cover girl” image with these new “flaws” corporations have add to the list. Women cannot be women in this society. They will be forever stigmatized for not being forever young.
Comment by ElizabethR — December 3, 2012 @ 8:48 pm
Wow, honestly wow! This is just another proof ( that I didn’t realize until now ) that the media is controlling and brainwashing us. I never really notice that they do this. There goes my notion that I’m not the only person who doesn’t have perfect armpits. Hair is natural, then why is hair on females so unfeminine? I, myself, first started removing my underarm hair at the age of 12 when I saw other girls around me doing it. I felt that it was always impossible to make it look perfect but I guess the media always finds a way and so do people with millions of dollars with a lot of time on their hands. Our patriarchal society deems that women need to be this way to be valued or seen in our community. Media just gives more and more things for girls to have no self esteem over.
Comment by NedaM — December 3, 2012 @ 8:50 pm
The first time I shaved my armpits, when I was, like, eleven, I was horrified to see that my arm pits weren’t smooth and perfect like the ladies I saw in magazines or in music videos. I’m so glad this article pointed out how problematic photo shopping natural parts of a woman’s body, even if they are decided to be “unattractive”. Blotting out armpits further supports standards of beauty that are unattainable and harmful to young girls. For the longest time, I was convinced that there was something wrong with my armpits because they were never smooth enough. It changed the perception I had of my body for the worst.
Comment by Tiana R.Q — December 3, 2012 @ 10:09 pm
I completely agree that armpits becoming unattractive is becoming a social norm due to magazines basically not even putting them there. I have never really thought of why it is okay for men to have hairy armpits but woman cant. Its just another thing this society does to prove its misogynist behavior is true. We have hair in these places for a reason and I’m getting so sick of it being gross to have it. Like there are so many places to shave now on a womans body it is hard to keep up its like you have to constantly groom yourself. If thats too much then you have to resort to paying hundreds for laser removal that hurts like a bitch. The social norms in this society are getting to be crazy and scary for women, like what’s next we should only have four toes instead of five? becoming aware that this is a problem and making sure you don’t think this way is the first step to these new social norms.
Comment by Lucy M — December 3, 2012 @ 10:18 pm
This is completely ridiculous. Why is there is a need to take out something from a picture that everyone in the whole world has? At least when they just remove blemishes and such it is still believable. No one doesn’t have armpits so this is just stupid. The media is getting too crazy, sooner or later there will just be a blob a skin on the covers because everything will be too “ugly” to show.
Comment by ZaneM — December 4, 2012 @ 2:56 pm
This is another issue that women have been dealing with. The pictures look unrealistic because their armpits look like plastic and it has no curves or any way of saying that they have one! Armpits are another “gross” thing that is added to female’s checklist. People on media don’t look anything like humans anymore. They are not only driving us (women) crazy but also raising our expectations (and men’s expectations) where it gets to a point that it’s nearly impossible to undo the influences.
Comment by Nazli C — December 5, 2012 @ 10:37 am
That is just weird; I never thought that an armpit was popular in photo shots. The media will do anything for attention to go far as armpits. I thought they were aiming at their breast and not their armpits. One thing that they are correct in is that women’s are now going to worry about their armpits instead of being smart. They shouldn’t even worry about any of that because woman’s are beautiful and that is it. The media shouldn’t tell them otherwise.
Comment by InokeT — December 5, 2012 @ 12:13 pm
This article I thought was really funny. It’s crazy how now armpits are the new thing that we are changing on models and celebrities. It’s crazy for them to try to make the armpit perfect by trying to take it away. It gives girl impossible expectations again, that they can’t do. Makes them wondeer why can’t there armpits be like that. And leads to them doing crazy things to themselves. Whoever came up with the armpit idea should really be fired or something. The idea is crazy.
Comment by Sean A. — December 5, 2012 @ 1:36 pm
Really, since it has been brought to my attention I can’t believe that even clean shaven armpits are a problem. It’s pretty safe to say that the media thinks that every, single part of a woman needs to be altered. And to delve a little into Misogyny, yeah, why are men so much more valued by society than women, women procreate, women grow men inside of them for 9 months and release them into the world, yet men are treated as trophies. Unbelievable! How can these naturally beautiful women really believe they are beautiful when the women we constantly see on magazine covers have nothing “different” about them. How do women of all races, cultures, look so similar, it’s astounding to believe that the media is controlling our self esteems and doing a terrible job at that. I now question if any of these so called “most beautiful” women of the world are really that beautiful. I guess you can take any woman out there and make you the cover of a magazine once you have a computer and know how to fix everything!
Comment by Anhjia L — December 5, 2012 @ 4:43 pm
The idea of your armpits being seen as “unacceptable†I feel is ridiculous. Although I don’t find it to be unusual for photos to be edited in order to slim down the model or remove wrinkles, blemishes, etc., I find it very shocking to see that armpits are also one of those areas of the body that should be concealed and hidden from sight of viewers of advertisements as well as, readers of magazines. The media photoshopping armpits out of images is just another example proving that the portrayal of beauty and what is considered beautiful that we so often see in the media is unattainable to the average person.
Comment by Natalie A — December 5, 2012 @ 8:15 pm
I think its completely normal for women to do what makes them feel comfortable. if a women feels comfortable with smooth armpits then let them go and get their armpits smoothed, if a women feels comfortable with a little belly button then let them get surgery to make their belly button small. Everyone need to be happy with the way they look and if it takes plastic surgery smoothing out your armpits to feel comfortable and good about your self, then go ahead.
Comment by Jimmy S — December 5, 2012 @ 11:02 pm
Taking out armpits from pictures is just another way of promoting body hatred in females. Everytime the media removes another part of the body or enhances it, they are causing women to feel as though that part of their body is not acceptable. It’s ridiculous because there definitely is no woman that doesn’t have armpits! Therefore, it also seems like a promote of objectification because armpits are an essential part of the human body. When you remove armpits, you are essentially dehumanizing, as every human has armpits. It seems as though we don’t want women in our society anymore, but, we’d rather have plastic dolls that can be manipulated to our liking.
Comment by Matthew H. — December 6, 2012 @ 6:30 am
Just when you thought the media had criticized every possible area of a woman’s body, here we are presented with the armpit. I do not understand why having an armpit retouched is so necessary. All this does is that it makes women even more insecure about their bodies, and at this point where armpits are being criticized, women now have to worry about if their armpit has any hair or if it looks ugly in pictures. This pursuit of perfection by the media does not seem to have mercy on any part of the female body and at this point, I don’t know what other part of the body they would like to target next. These celebrities in the media are starting to look more like legitiment plastic barbie dolls than actual human beings and that is something that sickens me.
Comment by Jonathan M — February 5, 2013 @ 7:22 pm
I have never noticed how some women in most ads don’t have armpits at all. I have noticed that when they do show, they are perfectly soft and smooth looking. Now that I actually analyzed these pictures, the women look extremely odd. The media needs to start showing real women in magazines instead of putting fake, photoshopped women in them. They need to stop taking women apart and putting different pieces to “complete” their body as. Like Matthew said, it seems like society wants plastic dolls instead of women with real flesh. I completely agree with him.
Comment by Judith S — February 6, 2013 @ 10:08 pm
I feel that when they Photoshop underarms it makes it soo much harder for woman to fit the role of a perfect woman. These images give men and women an unrealistic image and makes them expect this beautiful unrealistic armpits when in reality no arm pit looks as perfect as that , no ones perfect like that so stop trying to give us the idea that we can be.
Comment by Ashley H. — February 7, 2013 @ 1:01 am
I’m actually glad somebody wrote a blog about armpits. Photoshop is a miracle for celebrities. Every flaw and blemish can be hidden. Wow, its crazy how they even photoshop armpits. Obviously nobody has a soft, smooth looking armpit like those in magazines. I really don’t understand the significance of photoshopping an armpit. Is the media really breaking down on ugly armpits? All the media does is bash on celebrities. All this photoshopping and editing is making the public so upset about how they look and perceive themselves. Girls self-esteems are being torn apart from the media making models look so thin, pretty, and fit. Its upsetting that even an armpit has to be photoshopped. I wish they day would come where a model was featured on the cover of a magazine without makeup and photoshop.
Comment by Jnaziri — April 1, 2013 @ 9:00 am
The media does an excellent job of creating a new “norm” for women. These music videos, ads, promo’s etc sell more than just products, they sells images or normalcy, who women are and who they should be. It tells women how they should look, imposing an ideal female beauty. Yet none of these images created by advertisement companies are real. All have been modified in some way or another, as seen in this new armpit revolution. Women are being told to chase this fake image of beauty, which is unattainable. Inevitably, more problems will arise and depression continues as an ongoing epidemic. This whole armpit phenomena is just destroying the self esteem of women, forcing them to take drastic action such as laser hair removal or surgery.
Comment by Pravesh S — May 4, 2013 @ 12:27 pm
I have actually been noticing this myself very recently ever since I have been analyzing magazine pictures more critically. At first, it looked very unnatural to have such a filled area with completely smooth and white skin. Then, after a while, it actually started looking good. This is definitely a problem because it is beginning to be one of those digitally enhanced areas that will, or already is, becoming the norm. The human body must have some kind of indication of an arm pit. There must be some shape difference in that area, and now that Photoshop is making it look like there is absolute nothing there, it is setting such an unrealistic look of a human body in general. Not to mention all the girls who will now think that their own armpits are ugly when they compare it to these pictures. This is only one minor example of how Photoshop is enhancing every part of a models body to make it impossible to achieve for us. Even that model does not look the way that the picture presents her. Unfortunately, we are comparing ourselves to people who have been through several hours of makeup, hair, and to add to it, Photoshopped.
Comment by Ashley K. — May 9, 2013 @ 4:58 pm
This actually isn’t really a new thing: I remember in elementary/middle school, I would look at magazines with models and celebrities and see these perfectly smooth underarm areas. I would look in the mirror and wonder why my armpits wouldn’t look like this, and look up ways (via the internet) of exercises that would get rid of it. Yes, I thought I could get rid of my armpit. Yes, I was naive.
But looking back, I realize that without media literacy (or a comprehensive anatomy lesson), I was so weak to these messages that I somehow found a completely natural and neutral part of my body and made it another thing to scorn and hate about myself. I can only wonder how many girls feel the same way, and how it’s contributing to the many ways both boys and girls’ image of women is becoming harder to achieve. There are always ways to condemn the female body, and armpits are just the newest sensation in promoting this beauty ideal. What’s next, radiant tonsils?
Comment by Chandler L. — May 10, 2013 @ 12:13 am
When I first clicked on the link titles ‘Armpits’, I did not know what to expect. I clicked on it because I was wondering what there had to be said about armpits, something that seems so unimportant. I always told myself to just make sure that I do not have hair under my arms, but now apparently even hairless armpits aren’t even nice. Before seeing the picture in this post, I never realized how armpits were so smoothed out, some to the point of nonexistence. EVERYBODY has armpits, why would you take that out? I can understand retouching body fat or wrinkles, but to get rid of a body part? I think its insane and that photo editors are going a too far. Yes, the picture is more appealing, but it is also wrong. I am pretty sure I will be noticing underams in magazines and ads much more now. Also, I think that retouched picture of Kimora Lee Simmons is beyond crazy. The final picture has been touched up so much that it does not even look like her! On the other hand, the picture of the plus sized model underneath is beyond beautiful, even sexy. We should be seeing more of those images instead.
Comment by Neda S — May 23, 2013 @ 3:09 pm
I have never, not even for one second, thought about or noticed a model’s armpit. It is so unimportant and negligible to focus on the armpit. It is actually humorous that people actually care enough to photo shop women’s armpits! This extra work to blemish their armpits is just emphasizing our obsession with body image and making women feel more insecure about their bodies. I personally think the modeling photos of these girls with their arms above their head looks silly. It is just an awkward pose and regarding women in bathing suits, it is a known tactic to make them look thinner. Women have enough things to worry about and they shouldn’t have to worry about what is seen when they lift up their arms for .5 seconds because who really walks around with their arms above their head anyways?! This is just so ridiculous to me because there are far more important things to worry about than your armpits. I just don’t understand why anyone would believe that armpits look flawless and smooth when it is evident that there is not a single person in the world with a perfect armpit. People who are becoming insecure about their armpits due to this trend seen in magazines are unbelievably absurd.
Comment by Danielle B. — May 24, 2013 @ 10:00 pm
I have always noticed this trend, but being young I simply thought these women had flawlessly smooth underarms. As a result, I always thought my underarms were gross and unattractive. I would avoid tank tops like the plague, because my underarms I believe my underarms to be hideous. Now that I realize this is photoshop, this infuriates me. Not only does photoshop make women extremely insecure about their bodies as they are, but now the media tells us that we cannot have normal body parts because they are unsightly. Armpits are part of the human anatomy, and I do not think we would be able to life our arms without them. It sickens me that the media completely removes these from their images, leaving women to believe that these completely normal and functional parts of their bodies are disgusting. The article gives the example of Leonardo DiCaprio, that men are shown in magazines full of wrinkles and lines, but that is seen as attractive. That these men are completely natural and that is seen as distinguished as desirable. This complete double standard is atrocious and only leads to women’s self-hatred as they inevitably age. Now, I hope to strut the streets in a tank top, in direct defiance of what the media has taught me all these years.
Comment by Kayla K — May 27, 2013 @ 6:14 am
It took me a minute to notice what was wrong with the armpits featured in the article. They looked natural to me at first! But now that it has been pointed out that armpits are being hidden, I was able to spot the difference between a real armpit and the armpits featured in those photos. It’s amazing that I am so used to seeing perfection in photos that I have been cultivated to thinking that they are real. I am involuntarily mediated every single day.
Comment by GabbyT — May 29, 2013 @ 11:32 pm
Wow. I knew that much of what we see in magazines and ads now are severely Photoshopped, but never thought it would ever get to completely removing a woman’s armpits! Really? Like people really have an aversion to armpits. Things really have to stop and reverse themselves before every person on Earth has one kind of serious complex or another.
Comment by Cristine B — May 29, 2013 @ 11:39 pm
Armpits are meant to look like they are attractive. It’s come to the point where men can really say, “I’m really attracted to her armpits.” Not only have advertisements photo-shopped their armpits, but it has also come down to every single body part. Photo-shop saves advertisements their lives, even though I am against photo-shopped. I am against it because it doesn’t show the real woman who she is. If we set a better example for women by not photo-shopping other women, there would be no standards for women. It wouldn’t lead to bad attitudes and behaviors women have these days.
Comment by NatalieM — July 11, 2013 @ 11:07 am
I had never noticed that armpits were being hidden before. I don’t get why it’s so wrong to have armpits. It’s just another thing for women to feel bad about. The companies are trying to sell women products to try and fix them selves, but really there is nothing to fix. You can never get rid of your armpit. For one thing, the function of our armpit is to let sweat come out of it. They are just trying to get women to be ashamed of sweating. Photoshop is every woman’s enemy. It makes other women try and look like the fake women on tv and in magazines and on billboards.
How far will the use of Photoshop go before women try and kill them selves?
Comment by M.D. — July 15, 2013 @ 7:39 pm
If it wasn’t for this article, I would have never noticed how much armpits are being enhanced in the mass media. It sad that we consider people in the media beautiful when in reality they don/t even look like that. FAKE. We are constantly working out to look like the people we see in these magazines and for what? We will never look like that because in reality they don/t even look like that. Enhancing armpits, seriously? It disturbing that something natural like an armpit is considered hideous and imperfect. It is crazy that looking fake has become a norm in today’s society. We know that we will never look like that and we still try and try. What we need to see in the media are confident women that love and embrace their natural bodies. No one is perfect. We need to see more women in the media who are not skinny, who have curves, cellulite, and even a little belly rolls. If we saw images like these in the main stream, women all over the world would be comfortable and accept their own bodies.
Comment by Johanna J — July 16, 2013 @ 4:42 pm
I’ve always had a problem with the way magazines use photoshop to edit images but this is something else. Everyone in the world has armpits. Why are they something we should be editing out of pictures? Even in the pictures that are supposedly edited, they’re still there. There’s absolutely no way to get rid of them so why bother? Editors have gone way too far with this.
Comment by Jasmine P — July 23, 2013 @ 6:43 pm
I didn’t know armpits were being photo-shopped out. I never noticed it. For armpit hair to be smoothed is ridiculous. It shows that our armpit hair is hideous, that whole area is hideous according to society. But why is it hideous? Armpits are a part our body that grows hair like our face, our legs, our arms, our vagina. However, according to societal standards, women are told and constantly reminded that WOMEN must have all these areas clear with not hair. In constant, Men never get their facial hair or armpit hair photo-shopped out. Its normal for men. Always, women are the ones who have to fit or be FIXED into a specific image. In this case, women fit into a look where there is no hair located in their armpits. This reminds me of “the problem that has not name.â€(but less drastic) Many women in the 60’s suffered from having to be confined to domestic roles like being a mother, who takes are of the children, who does laundry, who wants to serve his husband and only because they were women. If they did not want do this, they were told there was a problem with them and that these women needed to be FIXED too just like how today women are being told we must be hairless in the armpits. This is a problem. Women should not need to feel like they need to be fixed. Having armpit hair shouldn’t be seen as something hideous. Its just hair and everyone, women and men, grow it naturally!
Comment by CurielL — July 23, 2013 @ 9:24 pm
These differences in armpits are very very noticeable. Celebrities are always fixe with a grand amount of twigs here and there, but fixing there armpits are one of the most obvious. When I look at my self in the mirror my armpits don’t even look half as close as these girls in magazines. Even if I’m a hundred feet away from the mirror I can still tell the difference. Women need to let themselves be and look semi natural for once and stop trying to fix themselves.
Comment by JessicaH — July 24, 2013 @ 3:24 pm
This article really surprised me. I always noticed that cellulite, stretch marks and other things were blurred out and edited. But armpits? I never liked my armpits but I mean what is so bad about armpits. So what I have armpits. It should be embraced, not shamed. It is really sad how slowly everything in a women’s body is being edited. It sends a wrong image to young women as it creates this unattainable beauty status that is causing numerous issues among women. Its sad how women must always confer to the ideal beauty image, while men can look like whatever they want. What a double standard. All women are beautiful and so are their armpits.
Comment by Kayla A — July 24, 2013 @ 5:34 pm
I had never noticed that. But i guess thats the point, that it has become the norm to our eyes. If we were to see a picture of an “ugly” pit then that is something that we would have noticed. I have a huge problem with my under arms but being a swimmer i had no choice but to expose my under arms to the multitudes of hot guys watching my races during high school. Even now i’m still thinking about my under arms when i raise my hand in class, thinking someone saw my armpit and thought it was too dark or too ugly or too whatever. Thanks a lot Kim K and your perfect photo- shopped armpit, i can never live up to that. Well, at least i know it.
Comment by Margarita H. — July 24, 2013 @ 7:23 pm
I’m glad I read this article because for the longest time I felt bad about armpits. These images became the norm for me. I remember growing up I thought armpits were suppose to look like these photoshopped images and then when they didn’t I thought why don’t they look that way? Why don’t mine look like that?There is something wrong with me. The fact that I thought mine were suppose to look like these altered images and that there was something wrong with me instead of the images I saw is upsetting. Society needs to change this ridiculous standard of beauty. By photoshopping someone it takes away everything that is unique about their body and instead makes them look like every other celebrity or model. It’s no surprise that there is so much dissatisfaction women have towards their bodies when society keeps creating these images that aren’t the actual celebrity or model, but instead fake images that are difficult to obtain or unattainable.
Comment by BrendaR — July 24, 2013 @ 8:58 pm
I can honestly say that I have never noticed this trend in Photoshopping before. I don’t even really understand and can only ask whyyyyyyyyy??? My sister used to text me in horror at such things, “WHYYYYYYYY” with nearly a half dozen or more so “Y”s and I would always ask with annoyance, “Is that really necessary?” Given the ridiculousness of this I am now understanding why my sister at times found this excessiveness to be apropos because it is all I could muster up as a reaction. What is the damage here, ad execs? That men will want to stop fucking armpits? I think if this stands to be an issue, we have much bigger problems on our hands than a few missed unshaven hairs and some underarm wrinkles.
Comment by SarahC — July 25, 2013 @ 1:50 am
Its amazing the lengths that corporations will go to in order to obtain “perfect” women, but men do not seem to be held to the same standard. The majority of images of women are being digitally altered, and so are our perceptions of normal, healthy, beautiful and attainable. Women exposed to these types of ads can fall prey to low self esteem and an unhealthy preoccupation with losing weight. But someone should draw the line somewhere because I do not know what they expect us to do about perfecting our armpits!
Comment by ChrisitnaB — November 20, 2013 @ 11:41 am
As a young teenager and even now, I have had issues with my armpits. Sounds crazy but its true. No matter how hard I tried they just never seemed cleaning enough, white enough, or even hairless enough. I spent countless hours trying to get my armpits to look like that of the women in the magazines. Its goods to know that these women’s armpits really don’t like that, I was driving my self crazy with that obsession. However, it’s mind bottling how the media has attacked, critiqued, and re-constructed the entire female body, including armpits. When will it stop! When will women stop being attacked for the most insignificant parts of her body? When will society rise up and say enough?
Comment by Natalia T — November 20, 2013 @ 3:15 pm
Although it sounds pathetic, I think the whole armpit in magazine covers and ads has affected me. Ever since I was going through puberty I thought having hair under my arms was unacceptable and that’s why I started shaving early on. I guess this idea came about because I always saw celebrities with perfect armpits with no signs of hair or pores. To this day I still wonder what do they do for their underarms to not be dark but it is all retouched! Even though there are so many products out there for hygiene I noticed it is almost impossible to find something at a drugstore to make your arms look perfect like those in magazines, and even if there are techniques or treatments, they are overwhelmingly expensive. Nonetheless the beauty ideal that is being set forth in magazine and through the media is already impossible to achieve. I don’t think I am the only woman that worries about lifting an arm in public because we are ashamed of how they look, but in reality this may be a result of not having the “ideal underarms” like portrayed through the media.
Comment by Julissa C — November 24, 2013 @ 1:27 pm
Everyday the media a big corporations find something different that is wrong with the female body. From altering breasts, waist, and thighs the media has reached a new low to think of armpits as being unacceptable! It seems as if society and media corporations want women and young teenage girls to hate the body they have! By altering these images to an unrealistic standard of beauty we are encouraging these women to hate their bodies unless they look like these photoshopped women. After reading this article is comes to no surprise that this is the reason women find something wrong with their bodies everyday. It is important for women especially to learn about media literacy so that images like these don’t disturb their own body images.
Comment by Maritza R — November 25, 2013 @ 2:30 pm
When I look at magazines I don’t stare at the models armpits but maybe I should paying attention.I’ve never notice that armpits were being airbrushed. what is so wrong with having armpits? Do we really need something else to feel insecure about really? These magazines need to stop producing unrealistic views on women. They should just have cartoon characters on the cover since they don’t care what real women look like. photoshop now and days serious sucks in my personal opinion. The magazines are creating a total different world then what were really liven in.
Comment by CeciliaR — November 26, 2013 @ 4:41 pm
It is completely ridiculous that public part of the human body are considered are edited and considered unaesthetic. This has undoubtedly lead to many women being embarrassed of completely normal parts of their anatomy and to go t extreme lengths to ‘edit’ these parts on their own bodies as well. This kind of censorship needs to stop as the harm it is causing to society is enormous. The media should be demonstrating to people that they should be proud of their bodies and be grateful for their health and the fact that their bodies are whole, as opposed to many who have deformities and and are maimed.
Comment by Sepehr H — November 28, 2013 @ 2:31 pm
I stupidly fell for the photoshopping for the longest time when it came to armpits– until reading this article just now, actually. I genuinely believed there was something wrong with me for having a visible difference between my armpits and the rest of my arm/torso. And as silly as I feel for not having realized before taking Professor Klein’s class that almost every pixel of a female celebrity’s body is photoshopped before being published, I have been so embarrassed about my underarms for years. I have felt literal shame when having to lift up my arms to reach for something while wearing a sleeveless shirt or dress in front of anyone, whether they be a stranger or even my own mother. This article just blows me away, because it makes me realize that I’ve just consciously experienced what almost every young girl unconsciously experiences on a daily basis in our culture: the utter shame behind thinking that I wasn’t enough, and that my poor genetics were going to keep me from ever feeling validated or beautiful. All because of some photoshopped armpits. I wish these photoshop “artists” had some genuine idea of how destructive their work can be.
Comment by Diane D — December 1, 2013 @ 10:14 pm
Armpits’ becoming unattractive is completely absurd and unnecessary. The use of Photoshop to alter these “flaws†that companies create to the audience is over the top and extremely sad. I don’t even look at armpits when I see advertisements. Why are these alterations being made only to women and not men? Men are given a simpler time with their body while women are continuously harassed for not being a certain way. This can be very damaging to women and men because now smooth fresh armpits are being expected. Women constantly hate themselves, and their bodies and when women see more and more unrealistic armpits, it’s going to cause the thought of why her armpit is not like those in models. The use of Photoshop to fix armpits might seem like a huge problem, but any “flaw†women don’t see in mainstream media can lead to body dysmorphia and eating disorders because her armpit might be to dark, to fat, or even just nasty overall. Our patriarchal society seeks for women to be a certain way and values women who follow the role and media keeps on adding more of these unrealistic values.
Comment by Benjamin C. — December 2, 2013 @ 1:47 am
I have never noticed the retouching of armpits in images that are presented in advertisements. After reading this article, I was stunned to see the images of women having their armpits totally changed in the images. This has not come to a surprise to me because computer retouching has played a major role in images to produce a person who is completely unrealistic. The armpits have never been brought to my attention but it seems that the people behind our media have taken this to a whole new level. Women already are comparing themselves to images that don’t exist with dieting, getting breast implants, and plastic surgery. I can’t imagine what will come next!
Comment by Leor M — December 2, 2013 @ 7:25 pm
To be honest, I never really noticed or payed attention to this detail of armpit editing in ads. But after I read this article and saw those examples, I realized I see it everywhere. And come on, that is just RIDICULOUS. Armpits? Seriously?? Now there is an established notion of what a beautiful armpit is? Men are considered rugged and sexy when they have hairy armpits, but girls are supposed to literally photoshop it off of their body? Next thing you know we are going to be photoshopping nostrils off of women. This is just stupid. It is an armpit for crying out loud.
Comment by Yasmin Khalifian — April 29, 2014 @ 6:28 pm
How could this be real, I mean seriously, editing out armpits? There is no limit for editors anymore. I can never look at an ad of a women and say this was not edited, this is exactly how this women looks. That’s not a possibility. No editor would let a photograph pass by without having every pixel edited, sometimes multiple times. Editing out armpits has really crossed the line. These women do not look human. I have never seen an ad of a man where his armpit was edited out and that is because for men it is acceptable to have armpits, as well as hair, wrinkles, etc. Women have so many standards they have to live up to when having these ads of edited women posted in magazines all over, and keep in mind these standards aren’t even possible. If you are human, I’m sure you will have an armpit. People need to become more aware of the changed and edits that are being done to these photos so they don’t live their lives trying to meet these expectations. Not only does it effect women, but men as well. When men see these constant photographs of women without armpits, no hair, flawless skin, and no fat, there expectations for girls shoot out the roof. They will never settle down because they will fear that there is some girl better out there. Men will be looking for edited women. This trend of editing out armpits is just the start of what is to come. Editors will soon be editing out ears because their too big or some ignorant comment like that.
Comment by Jasmin Lavi — May 19, 2014 @ 8:16 pm
Armpits being edited out of ads today just gives women another thing to worry about and that is not fair to them. They already have so much pressure on them worrying about their hair, nails, skin, cellulite, etc… and now they have to worry about the appearance of armpits?!?! This is a body part that everyone in the world has and by editing them out of advertisements, some women will have some doubts start to creep into their minds that some people don’t have these armpits and that they are uglier because they do have them. It is just absolutely ridiculous that advertisers would go through the trouble of editing out armpits and making women think that not having them is normal and sexy. Giving women unreasonable models of beauty to look at can only make the low self esteem of the women in this country even lower and that is the last thing that the women in America need today.
Comment by Matthew S — May 24, 2014 @ 10:14 pm
I have recently began to notice all the (not so) subtle ways the media attempts to affect a woman’s self-image. Women are expected to be “perfect,” which includes a skinny body, long hair, and now disappearing armpits? This extra worry about how we look if we raise our arms only takes away from our full potential. Why should we have to worry about how smooth our armpits are? We should spend our time in more valuably instead of being so concerned about lifting up our arms.
Comment by Vanessa R. — May 26, 2014 @ 1:13 am
I knew that armpits were retouched but for them to be completely edited out is ridiculous. There is already so much pressure on girls and women to follow and try to achieve these ridiculous beauty standards and adding this to it affirms the unattainable standards women need to reach. Everyone has an armpit and for someone not to would be unnatural. Not only affecting women but also men because now since men are shown these pictures of flawless armpits their expectations are to be the same on girls and women who aren’t the models to portray that. Seeing images such as these will affect the health of girls and women physically and mentally if they can’t attain these standards. I didn’t know that armpits where a big beauty issue that was to be altered and change for today’s beauty standards.
Comment by Pablo D — May 27, 2014 @ 3:52 pm
This is absolutely ridiculous. Thinking about how every pixel of photos are already being photoshopped and because beauty ideals and norms are becoming so far fetched and impossible to reach is now even more insane, having basically no armpits. By taking away and photoshopping the armpit into nothing, we see how insane and how these magazines and ads are aiming to perfect the women’s body. A real woman’s armpit isn’t the most beautiful thing in the world. It is not a clear, soft and empty patch of skin, and no ones is. So why do they have to edit these pictures into an unattainable beauty standard. Why would they have to alter and create this image that many many women compare themselves to, and this unachievable standard does nothing but break down the sense of self esteem in women. As small of a patch of skin the armpit is, it reveals a huge and clear message from magazines that your armpits are ugly enough to have to be cut out of a picture. Overall, I understand why the armpits are photoshopped because they are not the most beautiful thing in the world but everyone has one, and it is ridiculous to expect women to have no armpits.
Comment by Daniella S — May 29, 2014 @ 8:34 am
It doesn’t surprise me that the armpit is now being focused on and in another blog it is now the belly button. It’s happening because we are allowing it. We are seeing the ads and still buying the product they are selling. They start with the skinny model and now we are constantly dieting and exercising. The skinny model with the red lips, it’s Chanel lipstick we have to have it (it will make us look like the skinny model). Publishers are trying to digitally perfect women and we are falling, hook line and sinker.
I think this armpit plays a lot the film we saw in class, “Killing Us Softly.” This is exactly what is happening. We are going from weight obsessed, small nose, pouty mouth, perfect skin, small waist, white teeth, big boobs females to females with butt implants, perfect hairless, smooth armpits with a little belly button, if any at all. This should be an awakening for all of us,so as long as we keep buying the products these advertisers are hocking to us, they will continue to find things that we should change about ourselves so they can get richer, all while are bank accounts shrink and right along with our self-esteem.
Comment by Rosa G. — May 31, 2014 @ 9:32 pm
This was something that I’ve always noticed, but never really given much thought to. Every now and again, I would look at myself in a tank top and think: Why is it that my armpits aren’t so smooth? I know it sounds kind of silly, but I spent so many summers shying away from sleeveless tops because of something so insignificant. We NEED to stop altering every inch of women’s bodies. This is so unhealthy- we’re raising people to believe that a piece of skin that’s about three inches long is gross and unnatural. If something as minor as armpits aren’t off-limits when it comes to alteration, nothing is.
Comment by Maya K — June 1, 2014 @ 11:12 am
Reading this article made me laugh because of how absurd the media has become. Armpits? Really? Have people run out of ideas to talk about or can they just get away with ruining women’s self esteem that easily? Photoshopping images has always been a problem for me because of how much trouble these editors go through to try to make a woman perfect when perfect does not exist. If you have a body, you have an armpit so why is it merely ok to edit it out of pictures? it is ridiculous to me. It is unhealthy to examine women’s’ bodies so closely. If my armpit bothers you simply do not look at it, that is not my problem, but do not go through the hassle of editing them out or trying to alter them. It is just taking things to an extreme.
Comment by Dorsa Mehrannia — June 2, 2014 @ 9:52 pm