Topless Sarkozy's love handles airbrushed away

Because of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's un-French habit of "le jogging," you wouldn't expect the leader of France to have much blubber accumulating around his waist. And, indeed, Sarkozy doesn't appear to have any rolls of fat in a photo of him canoeing shirtless during a recent trip to the United States that the French magazine Paris Match published.

But that photo happens to have been airbrushed by the magazine to tighten what the French call poignées d'amour—or what Americans call "love handles."

The French newsweekly L'Express broke the news of the retouched photo by printing "before" and "after" pictures in which Sarkozy's bulge disappears. It also reported that Paris Match said the president's posture made the love handle bulge out more. So maybe he only has rolls when he slouches?

Makes me wonder if any airbrushing went into the recent love handle-free topless photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin.