NATALIE PORTMAN’S THONG. PHOTOSHOPPED FOR CINEMA AUDIENCES.

Thong 1, vs Non-thong 2.

Here is the star of the minute, Natalie Portman, wearing a thong, and then, not wearing a thong.

Why would anyone go to the trouble of retouching this picture?

This, from The New York Daily News, “If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of Natalie Portman’s derriere in the preview for her upcoming film, ‘Your Highness,’ you better check which trailer you’re watching. Weeks after a red-band, NSFW trailer for the flick hit the Internet showing a rear-view of a thong-clad Portman, a new green-band trailer has been released with some edits.

The second version, which moviegoers will see in theaters before a feature film, includes the same shot of 29-year-old actress – except with the thong digitally altered to look like a regular bikini bottom.

According to EW.com, the flesh was covered up in order to meet the MPAA standard for showing the preview to ‘appropriate audiences.’

Do you know why the sight of a film star’s butt in a thong would be considered so serious as to require a major photoshop job to censor it?

Apart from the fact that all thongs are an offense to fashion and good taste, of course.

Maybe the general public does need protection, after all.