For a Project Called ‘Selfie Harm,’ the Photographer Rankin Asked Teens to Photoshop Their Own Portraits. What They Did Was Scary

Sarah Cascone: Artnet News

Is photo-editing software warping our perceptions of reality? The British fashion photographer John Rankin Waddell, known professionally as Rankin, took portraits of 15 teenagers and asked them to edit the pictures to make them more social-media friendly. The hyper-retouched images—with giant, cartoon-like eyes, pouty lips, and unnaturally glowing skin—are nothing short of shocking.

“It’s time to acknowledge the damaging effects that social media has on people’s self-image,” Rankin wrote on Instagram, noting that the teens were mimicking what they see their idols do. “It’s just another reason why we are living in a world of FOMO, sadness, increased anxiety, and Snapchat dysmorphia.”…Read More

Pictured: Rankin, Eve, 18, “Selfie Harm” for Visual Diet. Photo courtesy of Rankin.