Photoshop Expert Spills One Expression That Older Female Celebs Aren’t Allowed To Have In Photo Shoots

A photographer and Photoshop expert is educating her followers on how to not only spot photoshop on celebrity photos from a mile away but also on just how many sexist double-standards exist when it comes to cover shoots for older celebrities.

Commercial photographer Caroline Ross is teaching “digital media literacy skills” on TikTok — where she asks her followers to spot what is “fake” in a celebrity’s image and then reveals exactly how stars edit their photos. She also points out the obvious photoshop editing that happens on female celebrity cover shoots that never seems to be a thing for their male colleagues.

In a recent video that went viral, Caroline shows several examples of female A-list celebrities who also happen to be over 40 (or even 50) with zero expression lines on their foreheads (either photoshopped out or removed with Botox fillers) versus male celebrities who are encouraged to furrow their brows and show a little age.

Why is this? Because older men are adorable, sexy silver foxes who age with grace and women over 40 are disgusting hags and no one wants to see a single wrinkle on their forehead, okay!

“Do you ever notice that women are expected to look like babies in their late 40s and early 50s? And men are allowed to look like mature adult beings with expression lines and a little bit of a brow furrow?” Caroline asks in her viral video that now has over half a million views.

Focusing on the brow furrow specifically, Caroline points out that a wrinkle in the forehead of a woman is very rarely seen on magazine shoots (unless of course the entire basis of the article is about how brave the celebrity is for aging!). However, when it comes to male celebrities of a certain age, it appears as if the photographer almost encourages them to really exemplify their forehead wrinkles.

“There's this one editorial in The Hollywood Reporter of Ben Affleck and every single photo has this adorable little lost little puppy dog brow furrow,” she says. “Like when would you ever see a 50-year-old female celebrity with this expression on their face?”

“Male celebrities are intentionally asked to raise their forehead and create these expression lines in their face because having wrinkles and looking older is not seen as unattractive on a man according to societal beauty standards.”

In another video, Caroline asks her followers, “Have you ever wondered what it would look like if we photoshopped men who are around the age of 50ish the same way we photoshop women of that age?”

What follow is an amazing slideshow of male celebrity editorial shoots (wrinkles and all!) being airbrushed to look so incredibly unnatural. The video got over 1 million views with thousands commenting on why the difference between airbrushed vs. not airbrushed is so jarring to the public.

“Yes!!! 🙌 ‘Men age better’ just equals- ‘we’re used to seeing men age’ It’s almost like representation matters 🤔,” one user wrote.

“I've just realized why I'm convinced my husband is getting more attractive with age while I go downhill. I've been conditioned!,” another said.

Another said, “I love this visualisation! I always thought that women and men should be able to age the same, because… they do!”

Disgusted by this double standard? Frustrated as hell? You are not alone, my friend!

Women have been targets of societal beauty standards since pretty much the beginning of time (like, have you ever seen a male celebrity promoting some anti-aging skin cream?), and while there has been some progress in this arena, there is obviously still so much work that needs to be done when it comes to gendered ageism.

In the meantime, we’re here for Caroline spilling the tea and exposing the sexism in Hollywood. Go girl!