Hi-Def

The difference between what stars look like in reality, and what they look like onscreen or in the pages of magazines, has been long discussed—as a source of interest and amusement for lots of people, and as a very real issue in need of perspective by those who are concerned with the increasing frequency of body dysmorphic disorders among young women and men, some of whom feel that debunking an unrealistic beauty standard is part of undermining the societal pressures that contribute to such dysfunctions. It’s no big task to find online examples of photo retouching, and the tabloids love to run photos of celebrities “caught” without make-up. Cameron Diaz, who has a well-documented problem with acne, is a favorite target in particular, even though this allegedly horrific problem makes her look exactly like any other woman with a break-out. Famously, Jamie Lee Curtis sought to illustrate the difference between reality and image in a photo shoot for More magazine.


But while Jamie Lee (who still doesn’t look like crap, even when she’s trying to) and others try to raise awareness about just how contrived image can be, other stars are supposedly growing concerned about the growing popularity of HDTV, which offers a picture up to six times clearer:

The technology … produces images so sharp that even subtle imperfections, usually hidden by make-up or flattering lighting, are brutally exposed.

To be honest, I’m not sure how concerned stars are getting about how they look in HDTV, since any information about it seems to lead back to one guy. But he does raise some interesting questions about how the technology could indeed affect careers so heavily reliant on beauty. I remember when Mr. Shakes and I saw The Matrix Reloaded in IMAX, we were both shocked at seeing how messed up Keanu Reeve’s skin actually is, compared to the flawless alabaster it normally appears to be. Lawrence Fishburne’s skin, which doesn’t appear perfect under normal circumstances, looked like the surface of the moon. (Mr. Shakes and I both cringed at the mere thought of what we would look like under the same circumstances; I can live an entire lifetime not seeing my nose pores appear large enough to drive a truck through.)

HDTV isn’t IMAX, but it is an interesting question as to how this technology might affect how we (quite literally) view stars. I’m also curious as to see whether, if it has any affect at all, it will disproportionately affect women, who, after all, have a much higher threshold to meet than their male counterparts. (Let’s face it—the female equivalent of Phillip Seymour Hoffman would not have the same career he does.) Frankly, I’m pretty hopeful that being able to tell that someone like Mariska Hargitay (and here, on HDTV—still stunning) is 41 years old doesn’t matter to people anymore. Perhaps causing Hollywood to relax its beauty standards after we get a better glimpse of reality is too much to expect, but it would be swell if it didn’t react by tightening them. I’d like to think that the only thing that HDTV will change is our perspective.