The new music video for “Hold It Against Me” premiered tonight on MTV, and while Britney Spears has been plagued by rumors that she used a dance double, that isn’t the the only camera trickery at work here. Much like Mariah Carey’s Christmas special, the aspect ratio has been tweaked, possibly to make Brit appear thinner.
It looks like the entire video was squished in from the sides, giving Brit’s face and body an elongated look:
This is what Brit looks like in a paparazzi shot.
More evidence: You’d expect a camera lens to be perfectly round, but here’s how it looked in the video.
The distortion is pretty obvious, so expect Britney’s team to claim it was an artistic decision. They could argue that whole video was meant to have a disorienting, “trapped in the funhouse that is the media” feel. Plus, Brit doesn’t actually have a double iris either.
UPDATE: Was the distortion MTV’s fault? While the video appeared to be squashed into the 4:3 aspect ratio in the TV broadcast, the official version posted on YouTube is in widescreen and Brit looks normal.
Earlier: Rumor: Britney Uses Dance Double In New Video
Mariah Carey Tweaks Camera Dimensions For Thinner Christmas Special