Little Love for J-Love's New Shape Cover

By Amy Wilkinson Posted Sep 26th 2009 09:24AM

No sooner did 'Ghost Whisperer' star Jennifer Love Hewitt bare her bikini body on Shape's October cover than did headlines like "Jennifer Love Hewitt is a Size 2 Again Thanks to Photoshop" and "How Much Photoshop Was Used On Jennifer Love Hewitt?" begin swirling around the blogosphere. In the issue, the 30-year-old Hewitt admits she's still insecure about her body from time to time. "I am a girl, after all!" she tells the magazine. But many are saying Hewitt's Shape figure doesn't match bikini photos taken of the actress just last month.

Blogs and other media outlets have been noting that Hewitt's newly svelte cover body doesn't quite match slightly curvier shots of the actress playing tennis in a black bikini last month. "Now, she is by no means an overweight woman, but even so, this health and fitness magazine airbrushed her size 2 ass," notes The Evil Beet.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer Love Hewitt is seen here showing off her figure at an Emmys party on September 20. Click to See More Pics of J-Love >>>

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Jennifer Love Hewitt Snapshots

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy pose for a picture at the 13th annual Entertainment Tonight Emmy party at Vibiana on September 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jennifer Love Hewitt;Jamie Kennedy

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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Jennifer Love Hewitt poses for a picture at the 13th annual Entertainment Tonight Emmy party at Vibiana on September 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jennifer Love Hewitt

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Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy arrive at the 13th Annual Entertainment Tonight and People Magazine Emmys After Party at the Vibiana on September 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. 13th Entertainment Tonight And People Magazine Emmys After Party - Arrivals Vibiana Los Angeles, CA United States September 20, 2009 Photo by Todd Williamson/WireImage.com To license this image (58436244), contact WireImage.com

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Jennifer Love Hewitt arrives at the 13th Annual Entertainment Tonight and People Magazine Emmys After Party at the Vibiana on September 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. 13th Entertainment Tonight And People Magazine Emmys After Party - Arrivals Vibiana Los Angeles, CA United States September 20, 2009 Photo by Todd Williamson/WireImage.com To license this image (58435694), contact WireImage.com

Todd Williamson/WireImage.com

Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt arrives at the 13th Annual Entertainment Tonight and People Magazine Emmys After Party at the Vibiana on September 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. 13th Entertainment Tonight & People Magazine Emmys After Party - Red Carpet Vibiana Los Angeles, CA United States September 26, 2009 Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage.com To license this image (58432832), contact WireImage.com

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Hewitt is hardly the first star to fall prey to an overzealous, Photoshop-wielding art director. In August, another health and fitness magazine, Self, weathered a firestorm of criticism for its blatantly altered cover shot of singer Kelly Clarkson, 27, that was ironically accompanied by the coverline, "Stay true to you and everyone else will love you too!"

Women's blog Jezebel.com probably summarized the outcry best, writing, "So even though Kelly Clarkson has said she's confident at any size and [editor Lucy] Danziger points out that Clarkson works out and is 'as fit as anyone else we have featured in Self,' the magazine's staffers decided having her instantly shed a few pounds would make her look even more confident and healthy. Oh-kay, then."

Self editor Lucy Danziger responded to the brouhaha on her blog, defending the magazine and the practice of manipulating cover shots. In a post titled, "Pictures That Please Us," Danziger writes, "Portraits like the one we take each month for the cover of SELF are not supposed to be unedited or a true-to-life snapshot... We allow the postproduction process to happen, where we mark up the photograph to correct any awkward wrinkles in the blouse, flyaway hair and other things that might detract from the beauty of the shot."

She goes on to add, "Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best. Did we publish an act of fiction? No. Not unless you think all photos are that."

As savvy media consumers, we know that painful pimples and awkward cowlicks are almost always edited out of images, but is it naïve of us to expect that cover shots reasonably resemble the celebrity supposedly pictured? Hewitt's photo is not nearly as manipulated as Clarkson's but probably the most troubling aspect about both pictures is that they're on the front of health and fitness magazines. These aren't stylized fashion shots. These are magazines that tout ideals of health and wellness and self-acceptance. How can any publication in good faith encourage its readers to overlook their imperfections when every single imperfection has been removed from its models?

The bottom line is, it's probably not that big of a deal when a dimple of cellulite or an under eye shadow find their way to the digital graveyard, but in the case of Hewitt and Clarkson, we should care that cover models are an accurate representation of the ideals and headlines touted on magazine covers and in their pages. No matter what magazine editors tell us.

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Tags: bikini, ghost whisperer, GhostWhisperer, jennifer love hewitt, JenniferLoveHewitt, photoshop, photoshopped, shape, weight, weight loss, WeightLoss

Comments

(226)

Sunday 27 September

By dmg98

Vote down Vote up Report this

there was nothing wrong with JLH body. Every girl should look that good. What's wrong with dealing with the body that God gave you. These days you don't know if your guy or girl is what they really are. Everyone is into bleaching their teeth, botox, liposuction , face lifts. I say, love yourself. Perfect your body with good ol diet and exercise and be happy. We don't want everyone to look like a stepford wife.

By michelle

I think she looks awesome in both photo's..Who has a waist that size and hips to go with it. She's lucky! She's a very beautiful lady that deserves to be left alone as far as this subject is concerned. Curves are beautiful...so the man I'm involved with says..Someone tell me how to get a waist that size???

Have a good one..

By Reanna

I think she looks awful in the black bathing suit, but that picture was taken a month ago! How come no one else has mentioned the fact that all she had to do was some heavy duty dieting and exercising for a month... that's what they all do she knew she had the cover shoot-

But of course they are photoshopped. they all are. No one wants to look at a fat person on a magazine. disgusting.

By Rhett

I'll give $100 to anyone that knows who gave her my phone number!

By Jenn

i dont think they did photoshop on her shes just angeled in the shot. she doesnt look that different! anyone can look a few lbs lighter in a pic if there different angels in the shot!

By twindadtubby

The only thing wrong with J=Love is she isn't with me!!!!I would take her when she was "fat" and i will take her now!!

By jim c

who give a damn about stupid things like this anyway? some low life! its her body and not anyone elses to judge! these kind of (so called news stories are what leads weak minded people to judge others!) why dont these reporters just shoot themselfs? I will provide all the ammo needed, if thay will just put themselfs out of our missery!

By bob

don't think photo altered...
is simply a matter of the angle and the pose...
what makes her look large are hips and thighs
(and she will not be able to do much about the hips), but put her lower body at angle and
corss legs a bit to cover portions of thighs
and there you go...works all the time..notice
in before and after photos on weight ads and such, it is done all the time...

By suzanne

I cant believe so much time is wasted hacking her apart. The only difference I see is the pose. Her hips are in different position, which is more flattering to anyones figure. and the different bra top type bikini shich gives support to anyone also. I think she looks great in them both. Lighting and poses and suit changes will change anyones appearance. Everyone in business knows that. Lame and sad of the news to constantly attack her. Jenny mcarthy was on the cover a couple months back and noone did it to her and she went on ellen and said they photo shopped her pics because doesnt look like that cover pic in real life. I didnt see her splattered all over the news. crazy, jen looks good leave her alone!

By David

I think JLH an KC look just great..no masking..tell the media to stay out of there lives..we dont need image to like the stars we like

By movingamerica

I agree that they are very different pictures. In the mag photo she is turned a bit sideways and no so in the pap photo. In the mag she is wearing a pushup bra and no so in the pap pic. Waist looks the same size in both.

By vjweiner

If they can photograph hundreds of thousands of
people behind the Verizon guy with the glasses,
they can sure change the bodies of these movie
stars.
Jennifer Anniston's body on the cover of a magazine
wasn't her own, because her head looked attached
to the rest of her. It was twisted in an unnatural
position - and Jennifer Love Hewitt is the same.
I wish they could take some of this fat off me the
way they do a lot of the glamor girls.

By Babs

What I dont understand about the public now-a-days is - why do you support magazines, celebrities, writers , anyone that you dont believe in? Why do you support celebrities that display bad behaviour? If folks didnt SUPPORT these people they wouldnt make all the money they do - and continue their bad behaviour! Youre being taken advantage of by unscrupilous people!

By madkono

she's standing differently in both shots. she has lost some fat around her thighs, but her butt still looks FINE!!!

By Jacqueline Untiedt

You can see the minor differences are because of lighting, posing, camera angle etc.
I see NO photoshopping evidence as many of the comments below agree, so why is the poll saying the opposite? Hmmm...

By steph

JLH was not photoshoped in that photo. The differences in the pictures is solely due to lighting, the cut of the bikini, and the posture/pose is which she is standing to make herself appear slimmer in the professional shot. Anyone can look good with loads of people making suggestions.

By xmab2x

Oh come on....the only difference between one pic and another is that a professional took the magazine cover....while some idiot, sneaking around in the bushes, took the other. Let's get over trying to disrespect people's bodies!! How desperate are we for news when so many other things are happening in the world?? When things get slow....pick on JLH. Pathetic.

By Trind

What's the big deal? She looks just fine in both photos. Now, Madonna's new boy toy.....you go girl.

By Vic

Who plays tennis in a bikini?

By nomoretoyota

Maybe a little shop below the navel. Her butt is getting big, but thats genes. I only wish she would unleash those bombs for everyone to see, they got to be magnificent!

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