We fully support Rolling Stone's decision to put our favorite Mad Men stars on its cover. (Except where's John Slattery?) What we can't get behind: how they've been transformed, from misshapen limbs to brand-new torsos.


For the full effect, click the image to enlarge.

We're perplexed by the waxy-faced expressions here — Christina Hendricks and January Jones are rocking grim sexyface, while the exceptionally handsome Hamm looks constipated — but that might be natural. Only Elisabeth Moss looks like she's enjoying herself.


What's not natural are the liberties taken in post-production, most visibly with Moss. Of course, the most glaring Photoshop intervention concerns the women's bodies; despite the three ladies have different physiques, they're all rendered quite nearly the same size on the cover of Rolling Stone. For frame of reference, here are the ladies at the Emmys on Sunday.

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For the cover, Moss gets her very own hourglass figure; both she and Jones also get snake-like legs. As a bonus, Moss also gets either a screwy calf, or something akin to a foot. Speaking of legs and feet, Hamm's left leg might be tucked under Hendricks', or fading slightly into the shadow of the car seat — but there's not even a suggestion of that here. It would seem, rather, that he has no leg whatsoever, his limb lost in a dark abyss (though yes, his foot is eventually visible). As Roger Sterling would say, the magazine is so cheap, they can't even afford a whole cover star.


Update: Another mystery that's been pointed out by our astute readers: Where is January Jones' other hand? One theory: "Don and Betty's arms form one hand, holding a whiskey glass. That's not Photoshop, it's symbolism."


A Fine Madness [Rolling Stone]