The Biggest Photoshop Controversies

We look back on the most recent retouching scandals and the women who spoke out.

By Laura Cohen

Jul 14, 2014

1. Colbie Caillat recently took a stand against Photoshop in her new music video, "Try." She and several other women go from all-made-up to completely natural to make their point clear.

2. Mariah Carey is at the center of the latest scandal—Jezebel released the pre-Photoshop images from her cover shoot with Terry Richardson shot for Wonderland magazine.

3. Vanessa Hudgens is also fighting back against the Photoshop trend. In her new ad campaign for Bongo's Fall 2014 collection, she appears exactly as she did on set without any alteration, totally "unretouched and unfiltered."

4. Lena Dunham had a similar experience as Carey earlier this year. Jezebel offered $10,000 for pre-Photoshop images from a Dunham photoshoot, and within two hours, they got them. The controversy, however, went on to inspire a campaign promoting positive change for women.

5. Troian Bellisario sounded off on Instagram after a photoshoot of her and her fellow Pretty Little Liars stars received serious Photoshopping. She wanted to acknowledge the editing so her fans know it's not reality. "This industry seems to invest more in perfection than in flaw," Bellisario said. "But flaw and individuality, to me, are what make a human being interesting, they make our stories worth telling."

6. Nicki Minaj also took to Instagram to call out ESPN Magazine for retouching her cover with NBA star Kobe Bryant, making the caption "When retouching goes wrong." She also said, "I love my personal unretouched photos where my forehead doesn't mysteriously grow in length."

7. Esther Honig, a 24-year-old radio journalist in Missouri, made major news with her self-portrait project in which she had people in 27 countries Photoshop her face according to their beauty standards. The results proved how beauty ideals affect women all over the world.