Article Answers

1. What is the contrast effect? Do you think it effects us now more than in the past? How?

The contrast effect is how we percieve things relative to the things around it. If we lift a 50 pound weight and then a 10 pound weight, the 10 pound weight is going to feel like a feather compared to if we would have tried to pick the 10 pound weight up first. The same can be said with attractiveness. If we see someone attractive with a bunch of unattractive people, they are going to look way more attractive then if the were with people of the same attractiveness or more attractive. I do think it affects us more today with television and other media sources trying to tell us what to look like. If we weren’t being constantly compared to them all the time, we would feel better about ourselves and feel more attractive.

2. How might the contrast effect influence men and women differently?

Women always will have the contrast effect influence them more. They are constantly being compared to models and actresses and always have to try to maintain a sense of beauty no matter what they are doing.

Do you think “extreme” photo retouching should be banned in advertising? Why or why not?

I think it should be for some things and not for others. If its an ad for a necklace where you only see the neck, sure touch it up all you want. But if its for a certain type of clothing, I don’t think you should. A person will always be comparing what they look like with the clothes on to the picture they saw it in. So depending on what the subject of the picture is depends on my opinion for retouching.