What makes celebrities so popular and influential? They often have an extra level of charm, talent, and natural good looks that seem impossible to attain!
But what if their “natural” good looks aren’t as natural as you imagined? We mostly see celebs through the lens of magazine covers, social media photos, and other images that can be easily manipulated. The result is photos that hardly look at all like the original picture.
Don’t believe it? We have assembled an absolutely shocking list of celebrity “before and after” Photoshop pics. Keep reading to discover what your favorite celebs look like without the right filters and other adjustments!
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian might as well be the patron saint of Photoshop, and this before-and-after pic shows why. It demonstrates just how rare it is for us to see the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star without full makeup and an Instagram filter on!
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is very naturally beautiful. But this Photoshop shows the lengths photographers go to in order to hide freckles and other natural skin textures from the world.
Megan Fox
Megan Fox really built a career out of looking young and beautiful, especially with her appearances in the early Transformers films. Maybe time with the Autobots rubbed off on her because she is clearly not afraid to “transform” her image with Photoshop!
Beyoncé
The very idea of Photoshopping Beyoncé feels like a crime. After all, you shouldn’t mess with perfection, especially when the result is a glossy mess.
Miley Cyrus
In its own way, Photoshop can be a dry run for plastic surgery. Here, for example, Miley Cyrus shows us how Photoshop can give your pictures an imitation nose job!
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani’s appearance often seems as timeless as her beauty. But as this photo shows, her “timeless beauty” gets a little help from time to time!
Kristen Stewart
In a piece of Photoshop that seems straight out of Joss Whedon’s Justice League, editors have messed with Kristen Stewart’s face to a ridiculous degree. Only instead of digitally removing Henry Cavill’s mustache, they’ve digitally closed Kristen Stewart’s mouth!
Penelope Cruz
There are many different reasons that celebs embrace Photoshop. Here, Penelope Cruz illustrates the most common motivation: to get rid of those pesky wrinkles. If only we could get rid of them in real life with the touch of a button!
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie’s natural beauty has helped transform her into a megastar. But even one of the world’s most beautiful women has fallen victim to the unrealistic standards of Photoshop.
Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall is one of TV’s greatest sex symbols. But in this photo, she uses a modern version of classic magazine airbrushing to smooth out wrinkles.
Madonna
Madonna has become an absolute symbol of both sex and beauty. And to stay a timeless symbol, she isn’t afraid to use Photoshop in an attempt to roll us all back to her ’80s glory days.
Britney Spears
It should go without saying that we support Britney Spears in her attempt to gain back control of her life and her finances. What’s sad about this pic is that Britney’s real expression appears to be unhappy or perhaps annoyed. But instead of making the photoshoot more comfortable, they’ve simply Photoshopped a happier appearance on her face.
Tyra Banks
Part of why we dislike Photoshop is that even when it makes one thing look better, it can make other things look far worse. Take Tyra Banks for example: hiding the wig edges was practical, but the attempt to change up her eyes makes her look like a zombie out of The Walking Dead!
Jennifer Aniston
With the recent Friends reunion, fans once again marveled at how wonderful Jennifer Aniston looks. There is such a small difference between Aniston before and after Photoshop that’s safe to say she doesn’t need Photoshop at all!
Sharon Stone
If Sharon Stone wasn’t a sex symbol before, then Basic Instinct made her into one overnight. But her natural beauty remains so flawless that we argue Stone, like Aniston, doesn’t need Photoshop at all.
Fergie
Did Fergie really need to be ‘shopped here? We’ll let you decide, but we’d be much happier if all these celebs gave us more glimpses of their real selves.
Jennifer Lawrence
In a weird way, Jennifer Lawrence is the perfect “Exhibit A” of how silly Photoshopping can be. For example, this bit of airbrushing does nothing except obscure some of the natural beauty that comes from her actual skin.
Keira Knightley
If you need any proof Hollywood oversexualizes women, just ask Keira Knightley. For example, in this movie poster for King Arthur (2004), her breasts were digitally enlarged. And the appearance of her chest was altered on Pirates of the Caribbean posters as well.
Justin Bieber
Most of this mania for Photoshopped “beauty” focuses on female celebs. But Justin Bieber proves that males also face unrealistic image standards. In this case, Photoshop gave Bieber muscles and manhood the size of his ego in an attempt to impress audiences.
Katy Perry
Sometimes, what gets Photoshopped in a celeb magazine cover is very surprising. In this case, the magazine took the voluptuous Katy Perry and decided that her legs needed to be way, way too skinny.