Meet the girls who dgaf if you can tell their photos are edited

And what it’s like to photoshop faces for a living


Millions of people use Photoshop to brighten their photos and give themselves an often needed confidence boost. Even though the finished product may not reflect who they truly are, girls spend loads of time editing and processing each image to make sure that it reflects their best version of themselves to their audience.

While some do it by hand, others head to professionals to beautify their pictures and to make them look more extravagant.

We asked Michelle Simmonds Meedy, an expert graphic designer at Sentimental Memories about her role in making women feel more confident in their photos. Her Facebook group, Meddyz Photoshop Designs, is a space for people to post photos that they would like to be edited. Meedy edits both for free and offers prints for a fee.

People don’t care if they know

“I have done and my reasons are for myself  don’t care whether people know the photos have been photoshopped or not,” said English graphic designer Michele Simmonds Meddy.

Sometimes editing means taking things out of photos, whatever makes the editor feel their best.

“To start with it was to practice but I have parts of my face I don’t like so I always take my face out,” the Sentimental Memories designer.

Usually, most people don’t notice the edits that are made in the process.

“No one ever comments if they know they have been photoshopped,” Meddy added.

“I think it’s obvious that they have been.”

Melanie Jayne Perrie is another editor that helps Meddy edit photos.

“I edit simply because I love it and because I like to bring a smile to someone’s face if they are unable to do the job themselves,” said the designer.

It is not uncommon for girls to edit their posts, from enhancing the brightness or trying out a new color, they can polish a picture that may not look as good on its own.

We also asked some girls why they are not afraid to edit their images and here’s what they said:

Looking professional in people’s news feeds

Looking your best for the camera is important when you’re appearing in people’s daily feeds. What happens when the original photo just isn’t good enough to pop in your crush’s feed? Filters to the rescue! The color alterations are common among many girls and are a daily go to for many people to enhance their look.

“I used to use tons of filters on my photos, and they didn’t even look like the original ones. Now I usually try to just up the saturation of my photos and make them look brighter,” said 18 year old Seattle University student Ciara Loughnane.

Ciara likes editing her photos since they make them look more professional

“I personally think it makes them look more fun and a lot more professional.”

It’s also about being easy on the eyes as well.

“I usually go through my app that I use and choose which filter I personally like on the photo I’m editing. I edit my photos because I think it enhances the photo and makes it more aesthetically pleasing,” said 18 year old University of Oregon attendee Emily Curtis.

“Photos are designed to resemble your own personality and the usage of filters can intensify that!”

‘Photos are designed to resemble your own personality and the usage of filters can intensify that’

It’s your time to shine

Capturing people’s attention is another important feature when posting on social media. Whether it’s matching one’s outfit with the background around them or trying out a new color tone, it’s fun to go for something that makes you look unique. When the camera lighting fails you, editing the photo can make it look just as good.

“I just want my photos to look bright and happy,” said 18 year old University of Oregon sophomore Camilla Merlo-Flores.

“My original pictures just aren’t like that as much as the ones with filters are.”

As for her photos, Camilla said, “I just want them to look bright and happy!”

Selfies are also a popular area for photo editing. Paying attention to eye color is just as important as necessary as matching your outfit to your background, and making yourself stand out can show-confidence.

“When it comes to selfies, I just use filters to make what I want to stand out stand out. Like my eyes or my outfit,” said 18 year old Oregon student Alyssa Gilbert.

Alyssa likes to match the background lighting to her eyes or clothes to make her stand out

After all, the better you look the more likes you get.

“The more likes you get, the better you feel about yourself!”

Confidence rules the day

Confidence is a common theme with social media, and editing photos gives girls a way to express themselves while looking put together.

“I definitely [edits] give people more self confidence because they can really edit their photos and show the best version of their pictures,” said 18 year old San Diego State student Cidney Overly.

Social media has evolved into a platform for girls to express themselves and to show their daily experiences. Sometimes it’s to show off the new look you just got, or sometimes it’s for yourself, trying to articulate personality in different fashions.

“I mean I post random pictures ALL the time I barely give them a second look after I post them. I never check who likes them,” said 18 year old Jordan Foster.

Jordan is all about posting for herself, making ‘my Instagram more about me than caring what anyone else thinks’

“I like to make my Instagram more about me than caring what anyone else thinks.”

Feeling comfortable in one’s own skin is important, and sometimes girls will do whatever it takes to ensure they look their best. It may not be easy but we all want to look our best, don’t we?