I’m not sure when or why, but for the longest time, I have been bothered by the use of photoshop to remove scars and stretch marks from photographs of people.
@melei’s new set came out yesterday, and it was refreshing to me to see that she had chosen not to use photoshop to remove her stretch marks. Here’s one picture that left an impression on me:
I had a conversation with her, and I realized I needed to say something publicly on the topic, because it’s one of those things that we need to change about the way people view stretch marks and scars.
You see, to me, stretch marks tell a story. And where they’re located will indicate if they were the result of sudden growth in the pubescent years, or as an expectant new mother preparing to give birth to an apparently ginormous watermelon. Stretch marks develop for a myriad of reasons. I have seen them on legs, belly, butt, boobs, and back. And as a statistic, several online sources indicate that 80% of people have stretch marks. That’s right...4 out of 5 of us have stretch marks; men and women alike.
Scars tell a story, too. When I was young, like probably about five or six years old, clumsy me tripped while climbing a set of cement stairs. I fell and split the skin underneath my chin. I had to get stitches, and then it left a scar. Later, when I was a teen, I fell off a bike and hit my chin in almost the same spot, and about eleven stitches later, my scar grew. That combined scar tells a story of two events which occurred during my childhood, and as I have told you how it happened, you now know a little more about me that reaches beyond the superficial. You’re getting to know me; at least, a little better than what you can see of me from the outside. If I were to have it surgically removed, or photoshopped out of a photograph, then you, the observer, lose an opportunity to ask me about my scar, and miss the chance to learn about those fateful days of my childhood. If you follow me down this rabbit trail, then a question about the scar could lead to the fact that my family was staying in temporary housing provided by my dads’ work, and that we were in Dayton, Ohio, at the time. And this could lead to finding out that Ohio is far from my California home. You see, if you ask me, my scars tell stories.
I was on Reddit recently, and I came across another woman brave enough to show off her stretch marks, u/RubyLeClaire. Here’s one of the photos she posted:
I appreciated seeing her stretch marks, because hers are mostly across her belly. They are the culmination of having four kids, and they are definitely mama-related. They, too, tell a story.
@nayru touches on the subject in one of her IG posts, found here:
https://instagram.com/p/BbWcEleDP--/
....and there are so many others with similar stories!
So, if four out of five of us have stretch marks, and many more, like me, have scars, then why is our society so obsessed with hiding them or getting rid of them? (Personally, I think it’s driven by consumerism, and the drive by advertisers to make you spend money on products you don’t need, to cure you of phantom ailments that don’t exist. People buy because they believe the lie.)
And to the models on SuicideGirls, I ask: If you are an alternative model who embraces the motto of SuicideGirls ("What some people think makes us strange, or weird, or fucked up, we think is what makes us beautiful."), why are you allowing the use of photoshop to remove your scars and stretch marks? Why are garments and lace strategically placed to hide them? I know for a fact that many of the models here are moms. I don’t mean for the questions to sound accusatory, but rather, I wish for them to be liberating from preconceived notions that stretch marks or scars are less than appealing. On the contrary, I, and many others, value the significance of the scars and stretch marks. As a dad, I appreciate the women here who are moms, and I appreciate their valued stretch marks. As a guy, I have an admiration for women with curves, and I value the stretch marks that gave the ladies their curves.
I am seriously sooo tired of people editing them out. It is obvious to me that the photos lose quality and value in my opinion. Why be an alternative model if you hide part of what makes you genuine and truly beautiful? I feel pretty passionate about the subject, and it frustrates me to no end, hearing absolutely GORGEOUS women talk about how unhappy they are with the very flaws that make them SPECIAL and PRECIOUS and VALUED and UNIQUE and PRICELESS. I have had private conversations with SGs about how they diet and want to get surgery and on and on, and they are sooo indoctrinated in the superficial and false societal belief that the absence of flaws somehow make them better. I believe, with all my heart, that you lose part of what makes you who you are when you hide those things that tell a story about where you’ve been. I respect their views of themselves, but I absolutely love them just the way they are. I applaud @melei and others for making the decision to leave their stretch marks in their photos, and I have exponentially more respect for them, than all the people who are so vanilla and hide them. Give me curves and stretch marks any day, and I am happy to get to know someone who is real and genuine!
So, my message to this community is to break free from photoshopping those stretch marks. Be bold and unique and show me the real you. I want to see you on an authentic, deeper level than the superficial. Let your flaws, scars, and stretch marks tell the true stories of your life.
