Huffington Post Delivers Celebs’ Pores And Pimples Up Close

The Huffington Post recently introduced a new entertainment feature called The Big Picture, starring “unedited celebrity photos, blown up,” ostensibly so visitors can inspect the size of Lindsay Lohan, Elizabeth Hurley and Sting’s pores and comment on who could use a facial or plastic surgery. (Disclosure: I used to work at HuffPo.) “[The Big Picture is] a playful spin on our culture’s ongoing fascination with celebrity images,” a spokesperson told Portfolio.com. “Two days in, reader reaction has been largely positive.” Something tells me that reaction refers to a positive increase in website traffic for HuffPo, not positive commentary on body image. That’s a value Arianna Huffington appears to have hypocritically lauded in the very first chapter (“Fearless About The Body”) in her self-help book, On Becoming Fearless. Yes, airbrushing celebs and models is out of control, but zeroing in on “flaws” is no way to ease up on body-hating in our culture. But sadly, this isn’t new for HuffPo. [Portfolio]