When Dana Suchow of US fashion blog Do The Hotpants spoke out about photoshopping, it put her on the map. Ironically, far more than she was to begin with. After almost four years of blogging, Dana admitted that she had previously (she no longer does) heavily photoshopped her acne and amongst other body parts, the size of her hips. Arguably, coming clean about something as personal as that is the best possible way to be put on the map - and the best possible message to be putting across to your readers, who often presume the lives of their subjects to be perfect and blemish-free. The Debrief liked the sound of this chick.
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When we caught up with Dana to discuss the ethics of this very modern profession, she was honest about the pressures on bloggers - that the reader may not be able to tell. Dana, however, is not a full-time blogger; her full-time job is in book publishing and Do The Hotpants is a hobby. 'I wish I was a full time blogger! But to do that, it takes time. And time equals money. Which is why most full time bloggers come from money - they are able to put their time into getting their blog off the ground without worrying about paying the rent. Unfortunately I don’t have that luxury, so I gave up the dream of being a full time blogger years ago. '
Pretty much the most honest answer you can give, right? We're off to a good start. We knew we'd like this girl.
The Debrief: What made you speak out?
**Dana Suchow: **Honesty! Which is why my blog wasn’t famous.
DB: So you admitted you Photoshopped. Do you think other bloggers do it?
DS: When I first started blogging, I became certified in Photoshop. I was too embarrassed to have photographers zooming in on my acne or insecure parts of my body during editing. I wanted the ability to have total control of the images. So because I’m certified, I know the “tricks of the trade” : skin smoothing, blemish hiding, colour correction, liquefying body parts to make them look skinnier. My eye is now trained to see these corrections on blogs. Women have pores, but looking online you’d be hard pressed to find anyone with any real skin exposed.
DB: And you're pissed off.
DS: I am not going to call out any bloggers to shame them. Like I’ve said before, the real issue is WHY bloggers feel pressured to do this in the first place. Bloggers wanting to show only perfection to the public is just the end result of a much larger problem in media, advertising and society in general.
DB: Are you glad you've admitted you edit your pictures? Does it feel empowering to 'come clean'?
DS: I didn’t receive any criticism [when I manipulated my pictures.] I don’t think anyone knew. But that secret was eating away at me. But now…knowing the world has seen my acne is empowering, scary, embarrassing and surreal, all at the same time. Right now I definitely feel more confident about my body since I have nothing to hide anymore. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
DB: Do you think this 'mask' needs to be lifted from the blogosphere in general? Take, Instagram account @youdidnoteatthat which 'calls out' bloggers on what they eat. What are your thoughts on that?
DS: I’m 50/50 about this. On one hand it’s absolutely amazing and hilarious and about time that we expose women’s disordered relationship with food and how that relationship is advertised as cool and fashionable. On the other hand, these poor bloggers, who are only doing what society tells them to do, are being shamed and ridiculed.
How about instead of shaming them, we shame the photographers/stylists/brands sponsoring them/magazines publishing the photos/etc. Remember, there is a bigger picture. Bloggers are just an easy attack.
DB: The Luxiraire recently spoke to The Cut about how she's sick of fashion bloggers looking rich and perfect – she criticized Man Repeller for her wealthy family. How do you feel about this?
DS: A while ago I felt the same way about Man Repeller, but rich or not, she’s funny, smart, not your regular blonde beauty, and she’s done very well for herself. Yes, I’m EXHAUSTED of seeing perfect fashion bloggers who just make me feel terrible about my body. But it isn’t Leandra Medine’s fault that she came from money. It isn’t her fault she was at the right place and the right time with the right connections. It’s just upsetting that UNLESS you have money or are society’s view of physical perfect, it’s almost impossible to become a financially successful blogger.
DB: Your tag line on Instagram is 'body positive blogger'. Do you think there is a contradiction between being body positive, and photoshopping your pics?
DS: Of course! But I didn’t change my tagline until recently. And I haven’t photoshopped my weight for a very long time. If I was still photoshopping and still preaching to love yourself, then I believe there is a contradiction. But at the same time, I still struggle with loving my body. I’m not perfect. No one is perfect. But as long as I’m putting a positive message into the world, no matter how closely I am able to follow my own advice, I want people to know I’m doing the best I can.
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Pictures: Do The Hotpants
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.