Chemo Scar Was Edited Out Of Yearbook Photos Without Her Consent

[Demovictory9]

16-year-old Indiana resident Allison Hale and cancer survivor was devastated to see that her yearbook photo had been edited to remove her chemotherapy port (vein-access device) scar. Hale had ordered untouched photos.

“I wore a sweater to specifically show off my port scar. I love showing it off, I’m not ashamed of it. We all know, I’ve gone through Hell and back this last year, and I want to show off my proof of life and winning. I don’t want it covered up. I don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed by it,” Hale said in a Facebook post.

However, her chemo scar was photoshopped out of her yearbook photo.
“But seemingly, scars are uncomfortable. Scars are unacceptable. Scars are something to be hidden and to be embarrassed about," she continued, sharing the edited photos.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/teen-cancer-survivor-speaks-out-after-her-chemo-scar-was-edited-out-of-yearbook-photos-without-her-consent/ar-AAQqEFw


She added: ‘I truly feel incredibly disrespected and disgusted.’

The school yearbook photographers were quick to fix the image and apologize.

Hale had been looking forward to the photograph to celebrate how far she had come, and while the situation was upsetting, it left her on a mission to inspire others to embrace their scars.

‘Everyone looks different. Everyone has something, and everyone is going to have an opinion of themselves and other people,’ she said. ‘You need to stop thinking, “How do people see me?” and start thinking more of, “How do you see you?” Once that perspective changes, everything changes.’

The teen was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2020 right before Christmas. The news completely wrecked her.

https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/04/teen-cancer-survivor-heartbroken-over-cancer-scar-edited-from-photo-15546646/

[Drunken Irishman]

1. Not surprising at all.

I know my high school retouched photos for everyone - removing blotches and acne from every shot. My guess is that it's a blanket retouching that goes in and removes blotches, scars, pockmarks and acne. I would be very surprised if they purposely only removed her blotch and nothing else.

[cinematicdiversions]

2. How Bizzare is that?

It isn't really that much of a scar. I have a similar tracheostomy scar and I couldn't imagine anyone going to the trouble of editing that out.

Makes you wonder what other "defects" were photoshopped out of the yearbook.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. Not bizarre at all.

Many schools will retouch photos to remove acne or blotches. I know I had some acne removed from my high school photos.

I don't think the intent was to say 'scars are uncomfortable' just rather, they likely use a program that automatically makes retouches to photos so that they look their nicest.

[cinematicdiversions]

6. My last yearbook photo was printed when Reagan was in office so I am very out of touch on this.

I still find it a bit bizzare.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. The Last Yearbook I Was In...

...was issued while Nixon was still president.
'72-'73, which was my junior year, but I left after that year to go to college.
I seriously doubt any retouching was done for those yearbooks.

[Sneederbunk]

4. What's next? Lawsuit?

[Maru Kitteh]

9. It was a shit thing for the photographer to do when she EXPRESSLY opted

her photo to remain untouched.

Hopefully many learned a lesson from this.

[womanofthehills]

11. The photo editor probably thought it was a smudge or dirt

Any half decent photographer would remove smudges unless they were told it was a scar and to leave in in.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. Oh Jesus. Bullhocky, unless it's a freakin' LANDSCAPE photographer.

Smudges and dirt look nothing like scars. Ever.

Untouched means untouched like NO means NO.

I had a portrait photography business for 6 years.

[womanofthehills]

17. I'm a professional photographer & sell images thru Getty

The editor might not have even gotten the message. Editing stuff like that is so boring, probably thinking about other stuff while editing.

[Maru Kitteh]

18. Pity the clients whose instructions bore you.

I've never met a professional who couldn't tell the difference between a smudge or dirt and a body feature.

[jmowreader]

14. I suspect it was the annual staff who did it, not the photographer

Whoever edited that photo ALSO turned the poor lady bright red. That isn't lighting and it isn't makeup either - it's someone with very little experience in color balancing photos shoving the red channel up half way.

[Maru Kitteh]

16. It looks like the image was possibly reversed as well.

My take: The photographer edited the scar. The staff did the crap job of tone balance. Looks like they tried to pull a grey point from the background or sweater and it went badly.

[marybourg]

5. Ridiculous that this is even a disseminated story.

International, (uk) yet.

[Maru Kitteh]

10. why? The self-image of young women and cancer-survivors is real

Consider yourself ridiculously fucking lucky if you've never been effected by either.

[USALiberal]

12. Explain!!!

[marybourg]

15. Every little slight? Every tiny local insult is international news?

Do you think the millions of people in Asia and Africa and Central America are not daily bombarded with slights, insults and offenses to their dignity and pocketbooks much greater than this? But this one pretty white young lady’s innocent and probably completely automated scar erasure is a worthy subject for international indignation. I say ridiculous!

[ratchiweenie]

7. What a very pretty young woman. With or without the scar.