Photoshopping has a huge negative effect on how women see their bodies. Comparison is the invitation to negative self talk and media gives us the invitation for comparing ourselves thousands of times a day.
“Hany Farid, a professor of computer science and a digital forensics at Dartmouth with his student Eric Lee have designed software that is intended as a technological step to address concerns about the prevalence of highly idealized and digitally edited images in advertising and fashion magazines.
Such images, research suggests, contribute to eating disorders and anxiety about body types, especially among young women” as reported in the New York Times by Steve Lohr.
Mr. Lohr says “feminist legislators in France, Britain and Norway … want digitally altered photos to be labeled. In June, the American Medical Association adopted a policy on body image and advertising that urged advertisers and others to “discourage the altering of photographs in a manner that could promote unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image.”
As women, we have long known how body image affects self esteem. The Self Esteem Act is a way to make our voices heard regarding the power of negative messages that are communicated through photoshopping. The gist of the Self Esteem Act is “We’re asking for support to pass federal legislation requiring advertising and editorial that’s meaningfully changed the human form through digital manipulation to carry “Truth in Advertising” labeling. The labels will simply state that the models shown have been altered. No judgments, no morality, just transparency and clarity.” Off Our Chests is the group who have started this campaign.
Please consider signing The Self Esteem Act. Thank you.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this! Thanks so much for bringing The Self Esteem Act to our attention, Darla. I signed the petition immediately.
Great job Darla on bringing attention to this. I signed the petition right away. I am so sick of all the advertisers using these methods to produce a false image and beliefs that this is the norm and this is what girls / women should look like..
Gary’s last blog post..Best Weight Loss Programs
I have three girls and I’m worried about the future and their self esteem. The advertisers give them a false image about how they should look like.
Marlies’s last blog post..Belt buckle – How to choose
Women are facing this problem. No one can predict how a people should look like. The god made us and we should be happy in our look. Advertiser show them a photo and woman get involved in the process of achieving that look with the advertiser guidance. Most of the time advertisers or companies are the gainer.
Don’t pay attention to such advertisement. It is not possible to predict how a woman should look like. A person look like the same god mad her or him.
Such legislation is long overdue. It is a tragedy that such false representation is being done to women of all ages. It’s time to get real about expectations we should have for the appearance of the human body.
Ellie’s last blog post..Staving Off Anxiety Attacks