Note to Self...

Self, the fitness, nutrition and health & beauty magazine, has run an exclusive interview with original American Idol Kelly Clarkson, detailing her struggle with self-esteem and body issues.

Kelly, who always gives good interview thanks to her earthy, take-no-prisoners approach, talks at length about how she's finally comfortable with her body. Rather than obsessing about her calorie intake, she eats what she likes and exercises when she can.

But despite having a cover that shouts about 'Total Body Confidence', the magazine has inadvertently shown just how little faith it has in its own editorial approach. The cover picture of Kelly has been so heavily photoshopped that the singer looks almost unrecognisable. Which leaves one wondering, what's the point?

Magazines retouching their cover stars is really nothing new, but it does seem bizarre for them to be so heavy handed when dealing with a story specifically about perceptions of weight. Editor Lucy Danziger took to her blog to claim "Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best...But in the sense that Kelly is the picture of confidence, and she truly is, then I think this photo is the truest we have ever put out there on the newsstand." Someone give this woman a BA in bullshit.

If you're looking for truth though, consider the words of Self's entertainment assistant Ashley Mateo, another regular blogger: "Why do we get bent out of shape when a magazine alters an image to portray a celebrity in their best light? No one wants to see a giant picture of some star's cellulite on the cover of a monthly mag." Perhaps someone should point out to her that readers of a magazine about weight and self-esteem might...