‘Pretty Little Liars’ season 5: Touching on Troian Bellisario’s GQ controversy
Given that we were on a bit of a break last week when the “Pretty Little Liars” – GQ stories first started to break, we missed out for a while on an opportunity to weigh on on this.
Is there a part of a cast from an ABC Family show about high schoolers appearing in little clothing for a magazine odd? Definitely, but as with the “Glee” controversy with Lea Michele and Dianna Agron years back, the distinction has to be made between reality and fiction, and at least this spread does not try so far to force the actors into a high-school like environment for the shoot.
The controversy instead is coming courtesy of the use of Photoshop in the spread, which is something that anyone who appears in one of these magazines is well aware of. Is it easy to be up in arms about this? Sure, but Troian Bellisario has such an interesting perspective on it that her recent post on Instagram is worth sharing:
“So by now you have seen many a shot from #GQand many people have said that we were photoshopped… OF COURSE WE WERE! that’s a very specific type of photo shoot. And looking very blown out and perfected was obviously what they were looking for. Great. Cool. As long as we acknowledge how it was achieved so we know it’s not real. Here’s some behind the scenes of my body the way it is and was on the day. I’m not mad at how these pictures turned out, the girls and I had an absolute blast. More fun than we’ve had on a photoshoot in a while, and I think you can see that in our eyes and smiles. “
But it’s the same everywhere. It’s the same way on the posters of our show and even in women’s magazines. This industry seems to invest more in perfection than in flaw. But flaw and individuality, to me, are what make a human being interesting, they make our stories worth telling. (Unfortunately the flaws don’t usually sell products or magazines) I’m proud of my body and the way it looks … But my hips and thighs are a part of me (even though they magically weren’t in some shots!) I get those things from my momma. And I’m happy To shake what my momma gave me.
As for those of you up in arms that the ladies appeared in the magazine in the first place, just remember that this is not any more explicit than any other form of media these days … even some magazines that don’t have the “for men” label. We don’t see it impacting “Pretty Little Liars” or the fan following at all.
What do you make both of the original photos, and the reaction to them over the last week? Share below, and head over here if you want some additional TV scoop via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: ABC Family