This just in: French Elle magazine’s April cover features European actresses and models without makeup AND without Photoshopping!  It’s a refreshing departure from the magazine world’s typical embrace of all things perfected, brushed, tinted, and hidden.  And it’s something that American magazines should try as well.

This post on Shine says it best:

“What might be most striking about French Elle’s
pictorial is how it actually appears to embrace and celebrate the
organic beauty of these famous faces (even if the lighting is
super, super flattering and the women are all unbelievably gorgeous
to begin with). In the U.S., when you come across a “stars
without makeup” story, there’s always a GOTCHA! element, a
message that says “Our gift to you: Derive pleasure from how
ugly this person looks without cover-up for her zits!”

Do you agree that there’s positive messaging and social value to showing stars to be beautiful even without makeup?