You know I barely care about Lauren Conrad, right? To me, she’s the even more worthless version of Kate Middleton. I only say that because Kate and LC look so much alike, not because LC and Kate have so much in common otherwise. Anyhoodle, it’s not that LC offends me – she’s the milquetoast of the current crop of reality show freaks. She seems to put her head down and actually try to do something other then “get drunk” and “hook up.” So I was actually pleasantly surprised to see this photo shoot with Teen Vogue – even though LC isn’t the best role model for young women, she’s totally not the worst either, and the photo shoot is very wholesome and nice. It’s just… the Photoshop on her face is ridiculous. She’s a young, pretty girl. You didn’t have to ‘Shop her to look like an alien. It’s particularly noticeable to me on the cover shot, and the photo where she’s holding the dog. That’s not what her face looks like AT ALL. Sigh… the full Teen Vogue article is here, and here are some highlights:

LC on her new show: The opening scene of Lauren Conrad’s yet-to-be-titled new documentary-style reality show will feature hundreds, if not thousands, of screaming fans gathered at one of her book signings. It’s a far cry from the blind eye producers of The Hills turned to its leading lady’s megastardom. “For the first time, they’re going to actually acknowledge the fame that comes along with the show,” Lauren says. And that’s not the only thing that’s different this time around. “It’s not going to revolve around my personal life,” she says adamantly. In other words, her boyfriend, Kyle Howard, will not be making any cameos, and her office—not her apartment—will be the home base. “Filming the last two shows, I never had the opportunity to show everything I was working for,” she says. “This time the focus is going to be on my job, and while that’s still personal to me, I will also have a part of my life that can be mine.”

On her giant sunglasses: “I still wear giant ones even though glasses are shrinking,” she professes, “because I have a jack-in-the-box face. It’s like when people would carry huge bags because they were convinced they made them look thinner.”

On her clothing lines: Skeptics will argue that Lauren doesn’t have to overcome the typical hurdles a young designer faces (i.e., visibility, cash flow, connections), to which she admits, “I would agree.” But, she notes, “I would also say that I’ve sacrificed and worked very hard to get where I am now. So whereas someone just getting out of fashion school may have to struggle for years to have the opportunity to start a clothing line, I’ve been working every single day since I was seventeen toward this. I’m also faced with different challenges,” she says. “I go into meetings, and people have this preconceived notion of me that I didn’t work hard to get where I am.”

On the hardships of The Hills: “Being on a show like that is a lot more than people think. You’re thrust into the spotlight. There’s all this pressure to act a certain way. It’s hard to adjust. You have to decide early on whether or not you’re willing to do that.”

Her new show will be grittier: “I watch a little reality now, and while I know it’s been partially ruined for me because I’ve been through the process, I think the format has become too beautiful and perfect. It doesn’t look or feel real anymore,” she says. “One of the inspirations for this show is The September Issue. It’s going to be filmed more like a documentary.” She explains in tech-speak: “The Hills was shot with three or four cameras; things like entrances and exits were reshot; and if there were sound issues, we were asked to repeat what we just said.” (Some people would argue the faux reality depicted on The Hills extended far beyond just that.) “This show is going to have a smaller crew, and they’ll just be following us around. It’s going to have a rougher feel, but I think the end result is going to be more true.”

[From Teen Vogue]

Well… she’s probably smarter than I give her credit for. And she is one of the few “success” stories coming out of reality programming. For some reason, younger girls just eat up whatever LC dishes out. What is it about LC? Eh.

Photos courtesy of Teen Vogue.