Carol McGiffin
‘My Loose Women chums have done it again. I’m talking about the brilliant Body Stories campaign, which was first aired in 2017. The idea behind it is to show reality in imperfections, to instil confidence in women so they aren’t mired in self-conscious doubt over the way they look. This year, in particular, they’ve focused on the relentless manipulation of images with the hashtag #LWKeepItReal, especially those that are often passed off by celebrities as ‘natural’.
Sadly, I couldn’t take part again, which I’m secretly glad about – as these days, I’m not as confident about myself as I once was, and not that long ago, either.
I’ve got saggy knees, terrible feet, skin like crêpe paper, bingo wings, and I’ve still only got one boob after my mastectomy seven years ago. So, wearing a bikini is a challenge – although I still do, all the time.
But I can honestly say, I have never digitally altered a photograph of myself in order to post it on social media. I don’t do it mainly because I can’t be bothered but it’s also just tantamount to lying, to yourself and to others.
Plus, there really is no need to as there are tricks you can use, like the angle of the camera (above is better), lighting (crucial to not looking like a deathly pile of mashed potato), poses that will do things like lengthen legs (à la Victoria Beckham), and lifting arms up (yes, you Coleen Nolan!), which always improves a silhouette, even lying down!
And always avoid harsh, bright sunlight, as this can give even the youngest of supermodels the appearance of cellulite.
Finally, listen to the Loose Women when they say, ‘ You Can Look But Don’t Retouch’, and spread the word so that we can help everyone wise up to Photoshop fakery. Then the celebs can crack on with deceiving only themselves.