General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Revealed. [View all]Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Moles, scars, freckles etc are considered "imperfections" that must be excised. Waists are narrowed, legs are lengthened, faces elongated, to create "symmetry" not found in nature. Skin tones are lightened on people of color to make them "whiter".
Here is a nice selection of some of the messier hack jobs:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/23-cringeworthy-magazine-cover-photoshop-fails
I am a Trekkie of considerable vintage (sufficiently old that I am unoffended by the term "Trekkie"
and I have met pretty much every cast member from every show up through Voyager. I have also met quite a few folks from Xena, Doctor Who, Supernatural, etc. and I can tell you that "reality" is quite different from the magazine cover. The majority of actors are on the small side (5'7 and under, and the working ones have BMIs on the south side of normal. However, on magazine covers, their skin is plasticized, any and all blemishes (real or imagined) are removed, and they are made to look THINNER and TALLER than they actually are.
The scary part is that what is being done with magazine is becoming possible in movies/TV as well. "Digital makeup" is becoming the norm.