If women on the covers of magazines can be photoshopped to within an inch of oblivion, then damnit, there's no reason why cosplayers can't as well.
It's mean, I know, but also an interesting exercise in body image (and cosplay as well)! You'd think people that are already in costume wouldn't be as concerned with how they look as "themselves", but when you're trying to replicate the look of a fictional character, anything goes, it seems. Even if most of these shots in the gallery below are probably done by horrible forum dwellers, and not the cosplayers themselves.
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Cosplay Girls Before And After Photoshop [Photography Maniacs, via NeoGAF, Boing Boing]