Justice

Husband Has Perfect Reaction To Wife's Photoshopped Images

October 16th 2015

Victoria Caroline Boudoir, a Texas photography business, recently shared a powerful Facebook post about a man's touching email reaction to Photoshopped boudoir pictures of his wife.

On Monday, photographer Victoria Caroline Haltom wrote about a female client who wanted to give her husband sexy boudoir photos for Christmas one year. The woman, a San Antonio public figure who asked to remain anonymous, told Haltom to remove all of her cellulite, stretch marks, and wrinkles from the photos. While Haltom thought the woman was beautiful at size 18, she listened to her client, whom she ultimately presented with a boudoir album of touched up images. Three days after Christmas, however, Haltom received a brutally honest email from the woman's husband, who felt the Photoshopped images didn't reflect the amazing beauty of his spouse.

 

"I have been with my wife since we were 18 years old, and we have two beautiful children together," he began, adding that he recognizes that his wife did the boudoir shoot to spice up their relationship. "She sometimes complains that I must not find her attractive, that she wouldn't blame me if I ever found someone younger. When I opened the album that she gave to me, my heart sank. These pictures...while they are beautiful and you are clearly a very talented photographer....they are not my wife."

He went on to celebrate his wife's so-called "flaws," which he said represent positive life experiences they've had together.

"When you took away her stretch marks, you took away the documentation of my children," he wrote. "When you took away her wrinkles, you took away over two decades of our laughter, and our worries. When you took away her cellulite, you took away her love of baking and all the goodies we have eaten over the years."

The husband clarified that he wasn't writing to put down her work as a photographer, but to admit that he probably doesn't gush over his wife as much as he should, given the fact that she felt compelled to Photoshop herself for him.

"Seeing these images made me realize that I honestly do not tell my wife enough how much I LOVE her and adore her just as she is," he wrote. "She hears it so seldom, that she actually thought these photoshopped (sic) images are what I wanted and needed her to look like. I have to do better, and for the rest of my days I am going to celebrate her in all her imperfectness. Thanks for the reminder."

Haltom wrapped up the Facebook post by telling her fans that they look great the way they are.

"Ladies, I can photoshop (sic) just about anything. But I encourage you to think twice about how much "altering" we do. Our loved ones cherish and adore us just as we are. This email was 100% real, and I cried like a baby with guilt for at least 6 months after that whenever I read it. I encourage you to embrace YOU just as you are!"

While the husband's email was touching and indicative of love, it makes sense that some women might feel pressured to Photoshop themselves in lingerie pictures—especially due to the pervasive nature of Photoshop in underwear advertisements. As ATTN: noted earlier this month, Victoria's Secret recently received major backlash on social media for posting an image to Facebook that appeared to have been heavily Photoshopped, and that wasn't the first time. In 2011, the company was criticized after a model's arm was erased in a photo.

As Victoria's Secret continues to promote a specific body type by altering their models, American Eagle's undies line, Aerie is keeping things real with its #AerieReal campaign, which eschews airbrushed and Photoshopped images of models. Consumers seem to be digging the natural approach; a conference call last year revealed that Aerie sales climbed nearly 10 percent following the company's decision to stop using retouched images in ads.

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