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Reader question: Please explain “an airbrushed image” in “a Conservative Party poster showing an air-brushed image of David Cameron”. My comments: Here, the airbrushed image of Cameron is an altered picture of the Conservative Party leader. Altered, that is, to make him look better than he really is, you know, possibly with his facial freckles (if he has any) concealed and wrinkles smoothened out. You can do these things these days by computer – using software such as, for example, Adobe Photoshop. Anyways, an airbrushed image is an improved image, one that is retouched, edited or doctored, in this case to better suit propaganda purposes. By definition, an airbrushed image is one that looks as if it were re-painted with an air-brusher – a spray device which uses compressed air to spray a liquid, such as paint, on a surface of a car, for instance. Figuratively speaking, if you airbrush a picture or the public image of a person or government you are trying to improve its image by artificial means. In other words, you are whitewashing it, and strictly speaking, it’s cheating. And, the worst part of that may be, it’s really difficult to live up to the airbrushed image – it’s like asking a woman to wear heavy makeup for always, day and night. That is, in addition to being called out and exposed for what it is. No further ado, though. Media examples: | 
