Szamosi, Sofia. Unretouchable. Sofia Szamosi, Illus. Graphic Universe, 09/2022. 152pp. Graphic. GRADES 9 – 12. PLB $29.32. 978-1-7284-0166-9. ADDITIONAL.
Olive spends the summer between high school and college as an intern at a fashion magazine, learning to retouch photos to make the models seem perfect—skinnier and prettier. This job, and the impact of social media, present an ethical dilemma for Olive. Is she perpetuating the unhealthy obsession with looks and weight, which the fashion industry is a big part of? Olive’s story is interesting but she is privileged; her mom gets her the internship and she lives in a nice apartment in Manhattan. There are few characters of color and no mention of the bias against models who are not light-skinned people of color. The b&w cartoon artwork uses bold black graphics with white and helpfully illustrate the plot, with dialogue balloons. Teens interested in fashion will enjoy this and maybe learn something.
Penny Peck—San Jose State University iSchool