Women's mags aren't the only ones guilty of a little airbrushing. According to a source at Condé Nast, the art department at Men's Vogue had to substantially airbrush current coverboy Denzel Washington because he showed up to the photo shoot 15 lbs overweight. "They even had to split some of his clothes down the back so he could fit into them," laughs the source.
It appears the text of the story was bloated, too. In a letter to Romensko, Philadelphia magazine declared that the 3,500 word bit of "fellatio," written by Slate TV critic Troy Patterson, surpassed Tom Junod's Angelina Jolie slobberjob in Esquire as the "worst celebrity profile ever."
Reached for comment, a Men's Vogue spokesperson said, "I'm not aware of the details of the photo shoot, but I have not heard of a magazine that doesn't do touch-ups to ensure a sharp photo, nor is it uncommon to alter sample-size clothing to fit the men we photograph."
[Full disclosure: This reporter once applied for a job at Men's Vogue.]