R16: Keira Knightly's Topless Photoshoot a Photoshop Protest

Keira Knightley has said that her recent photographs were motivated by more than fashion.

The Imitation Game actress was photographed for Interview magazine back in August, but this week revealed that the shoot by Patrick Demarcherlier was a protest against the unrealistic expectations placed on women, especially those in the public eye.

In an interview, she said: “I’ve had my body manipulated so many different times for so many different reasons, whether it’s paparazzi photographers or for film posters.

"That [shoot] was one of the ones where I said: ‘OK, I’m fine doing the topless shot so long as you don’t make them any bigger or retouch.’ Because it does feel important to say it really doesn’t matter what shape you are.”

Knightley had a particularly public battle with Photoshop in 2004, when her chest was digitally enlarged for the poster of King Arthur. At the time, Knightley said that she had actually lost her bosom through the strenuous preparation for the role. 

“I think women’s bodies are a battleground and photography is partly to blame,” she told The Times. “It’s much easier to take a picture of somebody without a shape; it simply is. Whereas actually you need tremendous skill to be able get a woman’s shape and make it look like it does in life, which is always beautiful. But our society is so photographic now, it becomes more difficult to see all of those different varieties of shape."