Digital manipulation has been used in fashion industry for a long time. The fashion industry has fallen under criticism for introducing ‘false images’ into the mainstream and passing them off as real. Industry big-wigs are continually blamed for deliberately misleading consumers by creating false impressions with their products, and more severely, for perpetuating unhealthy body images by ‘slimming down’ their models and concealing their imperfections.

This photo is an ad. of Madonna's Dolce and Gabbana campaign leaked online. The 52-year-old pop icon was apparently furious that the images showing her various imperfections were leaked, and is seeking damages against the person or persons responsible for the leak. In this case, some might say that the excessive photoshopping was necessary. But perhaps there is something to be gained from exposing the extent of work that goes into making fashion photographs ‘publishable’ in any major fashion magazine, and the increasing number of physical attributes that are deemed ‘unacceptable’.