this shit has to stop

I've had it. 

I've had it with a lot of stuff and people lately, including Aretha Franklin (I'm not finished with you, Aretha, you will get your own post), but when I saw this I knew I had to climb up on the soap box.  If you were looking for music reviews or something funny, come back another day, I'm not in the mood.  

We're going to talk about this poster:

Whether you're a Sex and the City fan or not is irrelevant.  I don't care.  I saw this poster on a blog two days ago and thought "that's an interesting painting."  I don't think I've ever seen such a bad Photoshop job on a major studio release.  I'm an amateur graphic designer and could probably do better than this garbage.  Let's examine the f*ckery.

The image above with arrows added is from Jezebel.  The arrows will help in dissecting the poster.  

• For some reason SJP's eyes are WAY close together.  
• Kim Cattrall is a painting.  Not only does it not look like her, she looks emotionless and Barbie-like. Very scary.
• Kim's elbow has been 'shopped to death resulting in something that looks like it didn't heal properly after an accident.  Also, her wrist is tiny.  The Photoshopper had arm issues and gave Kim a malformed arm.  Her other arm seems to be taken from a baby doll and is oddly the same color as Cynthia Nixon's.
• SJP's hidden leg is out of proportion to the rest of her body.  
• Kristin Davis is standing on one leg.  On sand.  At an angle.  Or the Photoshopper forgot to put her legs in the poster when he assembled it.  If that's supposed to be Kristin's knee it looks weird.  
• Kristin apparently has a boob job in this film because COME ON.

Cynthia Nixon is attempting to escape this disaster and I can't blame her.  This poster is absolutely dreadful and I know dreadful when I see it — you should see my prom picture — I'd straightened my hair, then it rained. 

My thoughts on the poster are this: are we living in a world where it is so wrong to age or have extra flab anywhere that every trace must be removed via the art department?  Does Kim Cattrall care that she is almost unrecognizable?  Everyone knows the series ended years ago and the actresses have aged; is the studio afraid no one will go to the theater if there is a wrinkle on one of the four?  This kind of crap has to stop.  

Before I get off my soap box, I give you this: 

This is Kimora Lee (used to be Simmons) for Baby Phat.  On the left is an unretouched image, on the right her ad for the new Baby Phat fragrance.  She is a Barbie in another life.  But this isn't just the work of a highly skilled Photoshopper.  OH NO.  

The Photoshopper stole the body of a model from the cover of French Vogue.  You know, because no one would recognize THAT.  I have a feeling that since Kimora owns her company, she said "make me look like I did in my modeling days."  But this is blatant.  I'm not sure if this is merely a woman trying to sell a fragrance or a woman hating her own body and her desperation to look thin.  If it's the latter, then it's time for all women to embrace who they are and the skin they're in. 

If I'm wrong and it's purely the work of an evil Photoshopper, then listen up, and this goes for all of you who work in the medium:  stop making women into unrealistic plastic-looking Barbie dolls.  We understand when you Photoshop out a blemish or under-eye circles, but this shit has to stop.  It's out of control and it's making women look not only younger and thinner, but taller, and out of proportion.   Just because you have the tool (in this case, Photoshop), it doesn't mean you have to use it to death.  It's time to let women be women. 

Okay, I'm stepping down from the soap box.