The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

Faking It: The New Responsibility?

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September 25, 2009 by Kathy McManus

Is faking perfection—by airbrushing, lip synching, and digitally enhancing—some kind of inverse new form of acting responsibly?

When a noticeably thinner, seemingly photoshopped version of pop singer Kelly Clarkson recently appeared on the cover of “Self” magazine, many fans wondered if the popular American Idol was friend or faux.

Admitting that the photo had been retouched, Self’s editor explained that the digital diet was to help Clarkson “look her personal best.” She continued, “A snapshot is different than a cover. A cover’s a poster. And the thing about a poster is you want it to capture the essence of you at your best."

The perfection-as-responsibility equation hasn’t been limited to this year’s cover girls. After Dream Girl Jennifer Hudson delivered a flawless Super Bowl performance of the national anthem—her first major singing appearance since the deaths of her mother and brother—her producer let slip that her crooning was perfect because her performance was canned. “That’s the right way to do it,” the producer insisted about the use of pre-recorded Hudson vocals. “There’s too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist to go live because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance.”

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Itzhak Perlman faked their performance at President Obama’s inauguration, pretending to play in a quartet, while the audience—and the world—was treated to a recording instead. Mr. Ma soaped his bow so it would slide soundlessly across the strings. “It would have been a disaster if we had done it any other way,” said Mr. Perlman, explaining the virtue of the virtual performance. “This occasion’s got to be perfect. You can’t have any slip-ups.”

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that the President’s nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, has caused a flap over her undisclosed but noticeably non air-brushed Rubenesque weight. In an image battle of BMI vs. IQ, a newspaper editorial pondered airbrushed perfection as it might apply to the White House, noting that “a thin, male smoker” is considered “a physical role model as president.”

Tell us what you think: Can we achieve our personal best only when we’re faked? Do we have a responsibility to appear to be perfect?

8 Comments

What do you think? Leave a comment

• October 1, 2009 by Vix

  I think that the premis of "faking it for the good of..." sends the wrong message to the youth... I think the message that is being sent is that it is okay to cheat! People may think that the fake is the reality and then what are we doing excpet living the lie...

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• October 4, 2009 by Heather Brewer

  No one is actually perfect and we should let the world see us, imperfections and all, if we want to be able to have a realistic relationship with our fellow humans.

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• October 5, 2009 by Jane Doe

  I don't think these situations can be approached in a blanket generalization. In Yo-Yo-Ma's situation it wasn't only about perfection. The extremely cold weather negatively affected the instruments and hands making it almost impossible to play accurately. TV viewers were made aware that Yo-Yo Ma was performing to a track. They faked it, but let the audience know. In the case of singers, like Hudson, saying it's a live performance when it's not is deception because they often don't tell the audience the singer is lip-synching even when the audience has paid to hear the singer live. Fashion and Beauty magazines are the worst offenders they boldly present computer perfected images as realistic examples for women to follow. When I look at photos of people, I would like to see accurate portrayals of that person. Some celebrities have protested airbrushed enhancements, like being made to look thinner or breasts made to look larger. Not too long ago Beyonce had a disagreement with L’Oreal(?) because she believed the company’s advertiser airbrushed her skin so she would look lighter. Fashion stylist, hair dressers, make-up artist, and photographers did everything to make Kelly Clarkson look her best in person for the cameras. Like most celebs Kelly Clarkson probably had final say on the outfits and her appearance while on the Self photo shoot. That leads me to believe that Clarkson thought she was at her best. The Self editor’s decision to airbrush Kelly Clarkson thinner so Clarkson could look her “personal best” begs the following question, exactly when is a personal best good enough?

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• October 23, 2009 by alsharari rawahneh

  people dont have to fake to be perfect. They have to be honest to be perfect , if adult are faking in their lifes their kids will probably do the same thing. The only thing to stop this wrong way is to be yourself and to be honest with his own life. faking is a weak thing. its let you leave your self and belive your life with layes .That what i belive its we have to stop it and be your self to be perfect and you can make your self perfect by doing your best.

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• November 14, 2009 by Natalie Peterson

  I have never been to a concert! I am 40 and I just want to know if all concerts are lip synching. How do I know if I go to a concert and the performers are not live?? I so know the obvious like if their mouths are not going with what is being sung, but what else do I need to look for. Thanks. Nat.

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• February 24, 2010 by Zach Gorski

  Then she shouldn't do a magazine cover unless she's looking her best. Otherwise, she's faking it for the good of her career, and she does so by cheating. Is it okay for companies to fake their financial numbers to get more investment?

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• August 3, 2010 by John R Wallace

  It is such a shame that our culture has created unobtainable standards...it's an oxymoron. Granted is great to always strive to be and do your best, but it's not fair to when the "standard" isn't even real. Because we glorify our celebrities so much in this culture, we probably have ruined generations of women (and men too) trying and feeling pressured to achieve impossible perfection. Our responsiblility is to be real and genuine. Our responsibility is to be the absolute best that we can be and not let culutre or media determine that. Amen!

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• October 2, 2011 by Louisa Finnell

  I think the notion that Yo Yo Ma isn't "perfect" enough live is horrifying, but I understand that he wanted his performance to be perfect on that occasion. The pressure can be paralyzing.

  My brother recently performed in public. He came off the stage visibly upset by the mistakes he made. I was happy to be the first to tell him that he sounded great, that nobody (except maybe me) even noticed that he made mistakes and they were absolutely unimportant because he did such a beautiful job and everyone loved it. I was right that nobody else noticed. For him to play for us so wonderfully and come off feeling bad about it couldn't be allowed.

  Everyone makes mistakes. The test of a live performance is to recover and move on, and not be so afraid of mistakes that you hold back.

  Even on his worst day, it's a privilege to hear Yo Yo Ma play. I want him to know that if I hear a mistake, I'm excited to have listened closely enough to catch it. Does a performance have to be 100% mistake-free for me to walk away feeling like it's the best thing I've ever heard in my life? Absolutely not.

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