Last updated at 8:41 AM on 6th May 2011
Less than a week after the Royal Wedding, a glossy magazine has done the unthinkable and put the Duchess of Cambridge on its cover with what appears to be a slimmed-down waistline.
On the cover of this week's Grazia, Kate's waist appears to be much narrower than it should be in relation to her hips.
The photo, which appears to have been doctored from the original shot in which Kate was holding onto William's arm, clearly shows a discrepancy between the line of Kate's corset and the fabric of her Alexander McQueen skirt, giving the effect of having inches shaved off her middle.
It hardly seems necessary. Miss Middleton had already lost a great deal of weight ahead of her big day - with some indeed suggesting she had gone too far.
So was this a deliberate attempt to whittle down Kate's waist - or was it simply a photoshop blunder?
Enlarge Enlarge Photoshop fail? It has been suggested that Kate's waist looks to have been slimmed down on this week's Grazia cover, pictured here alongside the original photograph. The Duke was also removed from the shot
The photograph has reignited debate over what are said to be magazine editors' impossible aspirations for the female form, with some online commentators saying they believe the airbrushing act was no accident.
'We are not blind. Of course they made her slimmer. And she is already tiny,' says Lale.
Emily from Hampshire agrees: 'you can tell that picture has been airbrushed.'
Tammy replies: 'Yeah very sad. You could tell she'd slimmed down (from her already slim frame) before the wedding, and it wasn't ENOUGH. it'll never be enough.'
Thin: Already svelte, Kate slimmed dramatically ahead of her wedding day
Septembergrrl added: 'It looks like they Photoshopped out a rib. Hate.' And LouWhoo points out: 'The only person who actually has a waist like that is Barbie!'
Website Jezebel pointed out the alleged alteration on their website, claiming that Grazia's designers had 'taken the liberty of slicing at the princess's already narrowed waist'.
The site alleged that Grazia's art department also looked to have elongated Kate's torso, using guide lines to show where the two photos differed.
'Even on your wedding day, met with near-universal praise for your look, apparently you could use a little slim-down help from the art department,' Jezebel wrote of Kate.
A photoshop expert said the effect could have been accidental: 'It appears that Grazia have tried to clone Kate Middleton’s left arm and replace it over the right one which was previously holding onto Prince William as they left the Abbey.
'In trying to replace her arm, it appears they have unintentionally tampered with her waistline.
He added, however, that any changes on such an iconic photo were ill-advised.
'On a photo that was likely to get as much attention worldwide as this one of Kate, it was unwise to alter it at all.'
Grazia's spokesperson denied any alterations were made in an attempt to slim down Kate's waist.
'Grazia takes the issue of women's body image very seriously. No changes whatsoever were made to the image of the Duchess with the purpose or effect of making her appear slimmer.
'We removed the Duke, and the Duchess' arm was adapted to complete the cover image.'
'Sharp-eyed readers will also have noted that she didn't leave the Abbey with a full-length Union flag behind her.
'This is a deliberately stylised cover – but there were no alterations made at all to make her look slimmer.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1383853/Kate-Middletons-waist-slimmed-Grazia-royal-wedding-cover.html#ixzz1LYnEfVkx
