The Talent Management bloggers have reported on an excessive amount of post-production going on in the modelling industry of late, from blending out models’ lines in anti-wrinkle cream ads, to erasing fat rolls for magazine covers. But this bizarre Photoshopping story is a new one, even for us.

Apparently, the latest in a long line of Photoshop-happy retailers would have us believe that having knee-less legs is the hottest new trend in beauty.

In these look book shots of girls modelling the retailer’s latest skirts and shorts, unashamed kneecap haters Forever 21 have clearly been a little heavy handed with the old airbrushing tool for some strange reason.

Scars, acne, wrinkles, maybe we could understand, but completely blending out a model’s knee contours… are we missing something here or is having legs as smooth and cylindrical as a green bean sexy? Maybe so, or maybe Forever 21’s models have advanced beyond needing to bend their legs like normal human beings – just like Barbie taught us was pretty. What will they do next, blend out their models’ toes?!

Funnily enough, there’s not much on the firm’s website about their models, other than that they “work with major modelling agencies in Los Angeles” under the FAQ ‘Can I be a Forever 21 model?’ Erm, thanks but we think we’d rather keep our knees…and our integrity.

Check out more leggy models with their kneecaps Photoshopped out at Buzzfeed.