Speaking from my own photography experience, the model is quite often reduced to a canvas for the MUA to paint on.
Its a shame that for some reason our brain wants something that is impossible in real life. Personally, I've been drawn to Amateur genre recently because it seem more 'real', even if most of it is low Q. I could talk for hours on this subject

Its hard to tell where art crosses over and becomes misrepresentation. Photography, both in porn and in fashion, walks a fine line between fantasy and hucksmanship. And its strange, because some of my favorite photographs are high-fashion ( i.e. Helmut Newton ).