More on the idea of fiction presented as reality in beauty magazines

This is the editor’s intro from the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar (the print edition, I haven’t seen this online).

We are uncritically informed: “Gaga’s extra bits, as she explains in our story, starting on page 156, are not prosthetics; they are her “bones”. Fortunately, they come out when she is inspired”. Unrealistic bodies (unless someone goes through the necessary mods to attain this look) presented as “real” and a natural occurrence. Not unlike the heavily photoshopped images that populate the entire publication.


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