Couple Pushes For Law To Limit Photoshopping Models; Because It Hurts Young Girls' Self-Esteem
from the self-esteem-act? dept
A couple months ago, we wrote about how the UK Advertising Standards Authority had banned some cosmetics ads, because the women appearing in them -- including Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington -- were way too Photoshopped, and thus the ads were misleading. Back on this side of the pond, it appears that there's an effort underway (led by a "concerned" married couple) to stop Photoshopped models from appearing in ads by forcing any advertisement that so edits a picture to have to reveal that the image is not accurate. They're not doing this based on any sort of "truth in advertising" mission -- but because they believe it's bad for the self-esteem of young girls to see airbrushed and photoshopped models.It makes for a nice campaign, but it seems like a huge waste of time. Are girls really going to feel different after seeing a photo that says "this photo was adjusted" in fine print somewhere? They're still going to look at the photo. In the end, it seems like this may be a case of trying to fight the symptoms of self-esteem issues, rather than the actual causes. I believe the studies that say many young people have serious self-esteem issues, but part of that is just being young. Tons of young people have low self-esteem because that's generally a part of growing up and learning to be you. Is putting a silly stamp on magazine ads really going to change that? Why not focus instead on programs that actually improve someone's self esteem such that even if they saw photos of impossibly skinny models, it wouldn't bother them?
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Filed Under: models, photoshopping, self-esteem, truth in advertising
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Market Value
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Let the puritanism, moralism and politically correct police begin bashing my comment. Ah, they'll be busy bashing Mike for pointing the obvious ;)
On a side note, I do think there's too much Photoshopping with the models today and it does give a version of perfection that many women can't achieve and many men desire which is something really bad. But the approach proposed in this article is just a big and utter fail.
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Truth in Advertising for fitness models?
Yeah, the reasoning may be off in the self-esteem campaign, but I do think we should have stricter truth in advertising laws. When you see a buff fitness model pimping for a new "As Seen on TV" shake weight or thigh master perhaps the ad should have to include the models *actual* work out regime the that actually resulted in their fitness? You know, the daily hour of cardio and the two hours in the gym they spend every other day?
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Give me a break
I also think it's important that people understand that. Sure the ad's depict and imply that someone can look that good at all times if only they buy this, or use that, or wear skimpy clothes. It's a farce though.
We place too much value on what the rich and famous are doing. What they're wearing. What they look like. Models fall into that group. I don't think that a disclaimer is going to remedy the problem that goes MUCH deeper into one of the many things that is wrong with society today.
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Re: Give me a break
+5 internets
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Re: Give me a break
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Correcting (Self) Image
It makes you feel better about not being the photographer, model or Photoshop "specialist" called in to, I don't know, stretch a human neck into a bizarre ideal of "beauty."
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They're ugly
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Re: They're ugly
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Re: They're ugly
That's your critique and contribution to the conversation? Ok.
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Self-esteem
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Re: Self-esteem
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Re: Re: Self-esteem
And don't you try to blame it on me
You deserve all the credit
You're an asshole tonight ♪♬
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Re: Self-esteem
If someone is showing someone else disrespect due to them being "ugly", then that person is an asshole. No amount of Photoshopping (or lack there of) is going to change that.
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Re: Re: Self-esteem
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This isn't about respect. This is about people believing they have the right to not have their feelings hurt. That's just stupid. Do I really think the parent is ugly? Hell, I don't know. It's some faceless person on the internet that I've never met in my life. Am I ugly? Probably by several people's standards here. My idea of beauty is much different from 'the norm', and I've actually been made fun of because of what I think is beautiful. However, I developed a thick skin and explain how boring the world would be if everyone enjoyed the same things, and how boring it would be if everyone looked exactly the same.
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Or did you work at it your whole life?
Either way, it worked out fine
'Cause you're an asshole tonight♫♩
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Self-esteem
You fight that good fight but keeping your head completely buried in the sand. Maybe if you keep insisting the problem isn't real it will cease to exist?
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I'm with you on repression. I'm with you about respecting people. I am not, however, with you about suppressing speech so that people get the warm and fucking fuzzies.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Self-esteem
Yes you are. Period.
Nowhere did I say I was in favor of passing any law or the law brought up in the original article but then again that's not what we're talking about anyway, was it? Nice red herring though.
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> that has been systematically repressed in our
> culture for centuries on end
Women are actually the majority in both the US and worldwide. Runs about 51% women to 49% men.
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More women both as a percentage and as a count vote than men. Since 1964 more women have voted than men. What the hell is a "sociological minority"? That is a bullshit, made up phrase, that could only find root in the overly politically correct United States.
We have an electorate, women are a majority of that electorate.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Self-esteem
> does not make up the dominant political force
> or voting majority
Well, considering that they have superior numbers, that would logically translate into a voting majority should they choose to exercise that franchise, which in turn would eventually result in political dominance.
If women aren't voting as much as men, they have only themselves to blame for it and therefore don't really qualify as minorities in any sense of the word.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Self-esteem
I will agree that women have been repressed (although I think you mean oppressed, which I'll also grant is true). However, women are as responsible as men when it comes to their role in society, after all, you out number men.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Self-esteem
Yes, women are responsible for their own oppression. Blame the victim. I suppose next you'll tell us that black and brown people are responsible for fucking racism. I'm surprised you can read at all with your head stuck so far up your own ass.
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Women are 51% of the population. They are, by definition, the majority. Also, women voters have outnumbered male voters since 1964, so why don't women elect other women? You could have a drawn out conversation about campaign contributions, male dominated field, etc, etc. but the reality is women, as a demographic, could control the outcome of every election at every level in the US.
Your argument about racism is just stupid and attempts to draw a false comparison. Black people are a minority even if every black person cast the same vote they only represent ~17% of the population in the US.
Before you run your mouth you ought to consider getting educated.
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Some dictionaries will use give similar definitions but that's the problem with dictionaries, they give the meaning based on common usage not on actual meaning which is why you find words like ain't and irregardless.
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Re: Re: Self-esteem
I think a lot of kids growing up today are are going to be kicked right in the junk by reality when they start dating girls over, say, 27 and realize that even the hottest ones have folds or blemishes, or stretch marks or whatever and that real boobs do not defy gravity.
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You know what? Eat a dick. I'm an asshole because I want to be. There's not much you can do to stop me. If you try to beat my ass, you'll go to jail and I'll still be an asshole. If you legislate it, I'll just be an asshole behind your back. You'll still know about it too. I'll just make sure my comments are sly enough to pass but still hurt your feelings. If you stoop to my level by making fun of me (or even responding to me!) it will just feed the asshole hate machine. Then we'll make excuses for you like 'they can't help it, they're just an asshole.'
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Thank you for feeding the asshole hate machine.
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Re: Re: Re: Self-esteem
Or "we make excuses for them like 'they have an unrealistic vision of beauty'"
When you're an asshole, that's your problem, you are the asshole. When you have an unrealistic vision of beauty, that's societies fault, not yours. So who's coddling who?
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Re: Self-esteem
We'd also add, that boys/men are also suffering from a real decline in self-esteem because of the images and expectations being presented them. The Self-Esteem Act benefits all.
And what's the downside to Truth in Advertising? Thanks for adding your voice.
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Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
Anyhoo, I'd ban any and all modification of photos. Yes, I know it's been going on since the start of photography, and in painting before that. Long practice doesn't excuse falsehoods. First Amendment doesn't give a right to lie.
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Re: Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
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Re: Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
....you really don't like freedom much, do you?
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Re: Re: Re: Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
Nope! Not Glenn Beck!
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By the way, good answer.
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Re: Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
Does your new interpretation of the First Amendment apply to corporations, lobbying groups, and politicians? How about individuals? Is a lie of omission a true 'lie', or is that still covered under the New First Amendment? How about the citation of 'facts' that have since been proven wrong? Is an incorrect statement to be help liable is a lie? How about works of fiction? By definition, all fictional works are completely fabricated, and therefor 'lies'.
Care to expand on your position?
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Re: Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
No, Mike is not in favour of false and misleading advertising. I have never read anywhere in any of his articles that he is.
As for the last two lines...here's what I think happened with you. You read the article and here's your thought process: "Altered photo of models is bad. Therefore altered photos IN GENERAL is bad. Therefore ban all modifications of photos".
Here's a tip. Before you write a comment here, think carefully about what you want to say and try to word it more carefully. If what you want comes to pass, then it would be illegal for me just to get rid of the "red eye" in photos. Not to mention a slap to First Amendment freedoms.
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Re: Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
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Re: Mike in favor of false and misleading advertising.
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It's the same reason Barby got plastic surgery.
On an unrelated note, can someone find me that picture of the model that was so Photoshopped, she looked like a twig with clothes?
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Most people think that anorexia is caused by young girls trying to emulate fashion models. However, there is no evidence to support that. In fact, the interesting thing about anorexia is that the rates of teenage girls suffering from it remains static across various cultures and countries.
So the rates of anorexia are the same for cultures that find thinness attractive and for cultures that find heaviness/chunkiness attractive.
In other words, there is no evidence that cultures that praise thinness causes anorexia.
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I can agree that this couple probably has no legal basis.
I can't agree though, that low self esteem is just a part of growing up. I'm not sure what you are saying the "symptoms of self-esteem issues" are here. I think these Photoshopped pictures are part of the cause and they can never be lived up to.
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I had no clue back then about photoshopping, but I'm sure kids today do.
I'm in agreement with the posters above regarding truth in advertising - a product's supposed "after" shots shouldn't have to be airbrushed or photoshopped. It isn't so much the self esteem as the blatant lie. In that respect, I have little issue with a required statement about how the photos might've been altered.
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Professional driver, closed course, do not attempt
This disclaimer seems comparable to the "This image has been photoshopped" disclaimer.
Does anyone know whether the car advert disclaimer is a law/regulation, and whether there are any studies that indicate whether or not it influences behaviour. I have always assumed that it is a CYA from the legal department.
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The problem isn't the ads
I'm a 24 year old white male living in a college town in Alabama (there's only 2 so start guessing and you'll get it eventually...) I'm also a lifelong geek. If anyone knows the value of inner beauty, it's me. I've been interested in maybe 4 or 5 girls over the past 5 or 6 years. So far, no bites. I have an IQ of 137 and a good job making $12/hour working for my Mom as a paralegal (read: 100% job security) and my own 800 square foot downtown apartment. I weigh 165 pounds and I'm 6'2" and I'm not going to win any contests but god knows I'm better looking on my worst day than half of this god forsaken town is at their own wedding. Yet, I can't get a second glance. But I should expect this. I don't use hair gel, don't use mouthwash, and only shave twice a week. I shower daily and use plain old cheap shampoo and bar soap. I spend maybe $6/month on hygene products and I'm as clean as a motherboard assembly room. Yet, because I don't look like DiCaprio, I'm not worthy of the time of day.
So yeah, we live in a society where first impressions are EVERYTHING (I believe because everyone is too LAZY to actually get to know people these days) and I believe it's the root cause of everything wrong with the country. I mean, JESUS F**KING CHRIST, WE ELECTED ELMER FUDD PRESIDENT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO HAVE A BEER WITH HIM! Even Bill Clinton, who I liked, was elected because he had nice hair and could play the Saxophone. Are you kidding me? Why not just elect Paris Hilton president? I mean, if controlling our nuclear arsenal and passing a new $5,000+ page budget 4 times are such easy jobs and this is all just a goddamn beauty pageant, might as well go all the way, right?
So anyhow...bit of a rant, and sorry about that, but the issue here is not going to be solved by yet more poorly thought out legislation. This is an issue with SOCIETY, not the law, and we need to have SOCIETAL reform, enacted via mutual agreement with each other, and enforced via that wonderful thing we call an economy. Speaking of whicch, in this economy, people can barely afford to pay their power bill every month. Stop buying lip gloss and mineral powder makeup and you may find yourself struggling a lot less to keep your lights on!
As for me? I love geeky chicks anyway, but none of them around here are single, and I'm not the homewrecker type, so for now I'm stuck waiting on the world to change. And no, it's not NEARLY as enjoyable as Mr. Maher makes it sound.
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That said, here's a thought experiment to drive my point home:
On a day when it's 69-73 degrees outside and sunny, go to your closet in the morning and pick out your clothes to wear. Don't put much thought into it (yet) but rather just choose whatever first comes to mind. Now go outside and go about your day. No doubt, at some point during your day, you will run across a problem: you need somewhere to store something you're carrying around. Might be your phone, your wallet, a receipt from the store, or a candy bar. Now, in this situation, the weather is good. You're probably wearing shorts. WHY??? It's not hot outside. You could've worn cargo pants and had ample room to store whatever you're now trying to carry in your hand and juggle around. Yes, they're not "cool" or "stylish" but yanno what? They're affordable, and they're the most functional piece of clothing you can wear. From a purely logical standpoint, a pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt with a single breast pocket (if you're a guy) is the best outfit for every possible occasion. They're lightweight, provide good freedom of movement, ample storage capacity (weighted against your waist, which is capable of supporting almost 6 times the dead vertical weight that your back is) and protection against dirt, bugs, or anything else that might otherwise get you dirty. Barring hot days (in which case I'd go with cargo shorts) there is no bad time to wear cargo pants. Why doesn't everyone do that? Simple: because they'd rather do something "cool" than something that makes logical sense. And who creates cool? Lancome, et.al.
As I said before, stop buying this crap and they'll stop selling it, then there won't be any unrealistic expectations to meet in the first place. This is basic logic and economics, folks.
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Re: The problem isn't the ads
What is it you think laws are if not mutual agreements with each other? Political authority is an integral part of what makes up a 'SOCIETY.' Why the rush to discount it at an agent of change? What makes you think 'the economy' would fix the problems you're talking about? Selling people marked up shit they don't really need by convincing them they really need it sounds like a really good business to me, what economic force is it that's going to make that stop?
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Re: The problem isn't the ads
Get yourself on to a reputable dating site (that is, stay away from the crooks). Put your paragraph which begins, "I'm a 24 year old white male" in your profile. Put a nice recent head-and-shoulders photo in there as well. Buy some membership time. Then contact one of the ladies there that takes your fancy. Suggest a meeting in a safe public place. Give her two days to respond. If no response, move on to the next woman; repeat as required.
Meet the woman. Be nice to her. Suggest another date in three days time. If she declines, do not stress, move on to the next woman. You will definitely have a girlfriend within a month and she will love you deeply. There are large numbers of ladies out there who are absolutely desperate to get a man with a brain, a conscience and a job. You qualify. There are also large numbers of ladies who are unable to recognize quality, that is their problem not yours. If the relationship is not good for both of you, move on.
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Good news sites might be a bit more careful to present unaltered images, but even news sites with high standards generally permit cropping and correcting for things like brightness, contrast, and hue.
Exactly where do you draw the line on what is acceptable and what isn't. If you insist that all altered photos be labeled as altered, then pretty much every photo that you see is going to have the tag on it, thus rendering the tag meaningless.
But really, there isn't really that much difference between photoshopping skin tone or a waist line and doing a studio setup that flatters the model in ways that are not natural.
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There is a difference between flattering poses and digital morphs
In many cases, such retouching is not material to the ad. If a car ad retouches the man or woman who cares? But if a make up ad that claims to minimize wrinkles is retouched, then the retouching may be relevant.
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Actually yes.
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Here's a thought...
I know, we're far from that--too much cache brought by an actual famous person to bother with a facsimile.
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Self Esteem
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Re: How About Some Parenting
You know those advertisements you see in magazines? Well, all the women in those ads are not actually as perfect as they seem. The pictures are all manipulated. It used to be called "airbrushing" but now it gets called "photoshopping".
Don't forget the boys as well. A lot of them are just desperate to have a girlfriend, but have no idea how. Make it easy for them. I have been dealing with men for a lot longer than you. Momma is always here to help you, sweetie.
** Hugs daughter **
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Just what we need...
What's next? Are movies going to be required to run disclaimers along the bottom of the screen every time an actress with a boob job appears on screen?
Hell, even makeup makes women look better than they really do. Do we need a law requiring all women to promptly disclose to anyone they speak to how much and what type of makeup they're wearing?
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Re: Just what we need...
...or 'cars do not actually blow up in a fireball on impact'...
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I feel like it could be good for competition if a conspicuous notice were required for retouched photos in such ads--we'd probably see a lot more ads with genuine un-retouched (and labeled as such) before and after pictures, which would be a problem for the products that don't actually work well.
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Sounds like a good initiative to me.
Young girls as well have begun judging each other based on how well they can match not the models, but the highly cleaned up and idealized versions they see in pictures over and over and over again.
Personally I'd like to see a total ban on distorting photographs with Photoshop, because it doesn't matter if people are informed about the pictures being fake - they still have the negative effects. I doubt if such a ban would have a chance in hell, though, so a better plan would be to just change society into one that isn't money based. That would make all advertising moot overnight, which would be much more sane, and would also save mankind. Literally. The profit motive and fiat money-based conspicuous consumption society we've built is herding us straight towards destruction and if we don't start using real-world values to use our resources wisely, we're doomed as a species anyway.
Advertising is just one really ugly and nasty side effect that we're suffering under because of the need to make a profit rather than the need to create things people need sustainably.
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> into one that isn't money based
What other fairy tales do you hope happen for real?
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Attorney in Albuquerque, NM
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Attorney in Albuquerque, NM
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