An Instagram image of Britney Spears has come under fire, with fans accusing the star of photoshopping her already ridiculously toned body.
Spears, 34, posted a photo of herself lying next to her pool in a yellow bikini on Sunday. And, indeed, the image begged a lot of questions.
A photo posted by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on
Why does her caption read ‘just chilling’, when the weather appears to be, in fact, quite warm?
Is that her pool? May I…may I pleeeease come over for a swim?
Is she wearing sunscreen?
WILL SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF HER SKIN CELLS IN TRAUMA.
But these weren’t the questions her fans were asking. All anyone wanted to know was whether the image had been photoshopped. And many of her followers made up their minds very quickly.
Several commenters simply wrote ‘photoshop’, or ‘check out this photo shop fail’, while others made fun of the celebrity, posting ‘when you try to [sic] hard *laughing emoji*’. But clearly many of Britney’s fans were seriously frustrated by her apparent photoshop attempt. One user wrote:
‘Actually, this is a very important real-world problem to address. Little girls are seeing this and assuming this is what they are supposed to grow up to be. I’m so sick of it. So sick of it. I’ve recovered from an eating disorder and this kind of stuff (no offense, Britney) is what’s poisoning our little girls’ minds. :(‘
In a likely attempt to debunk the accusations, Britney posted another image showing her incredibly slim tummy.
On the green today with these munchkins ???? #SundayFunday A photo posted by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on
However, the issue of whether Spears has great abs was never in question. Many women, regardless of their size and shape, have knowingly or unknowingly been photoshopped.
The singer has nine million Instagram followers, and her decisions about which images she uploads have a huge influence. If the photo was photoshopped, it does send a problematic message. It send the message that even a celebrity known for her physical attractiveness is not good enough as she is.
However, a number of Britney’s followers adamantly stand by her, and say the image hasn’t been doctored. The prevailing theory is that her towel is purple, which might explain why it looks as though her back is majestically floating above her pool.
‘SHE HAS A PURPLE TOWEL, IT’S NOT PHOTOSHOPPED’, wrote one user. Another agreed: ‘her towel is purple, it’s not photoshopped. slayyyyy’.
So the real question is: purple towel or photoshop?
And for some fans, the answer has important consequences.
