From a party news release ahead of Jo Swinson and Lynne Featherstone meeting with representatives of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA):
Commenting on today’s report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists calling for airbrushed images to be ‘kitemarked’, Liberal Democrat MP, Jo Swinson said:
“The Royal College of Psychiatrists makes it crystal clear that airbrushing plays a harmful role when it comes to negative body image and eating disorders.
“Airbrushing has a really damaging impact on people’s self-esteem and that’s why we’ve called for a labelling system.
“Making sure children are taught to be media-savvy and getting ads which feature unrealistic, unattainable images to have a kitemark will be a real step forward.
“I’m meeting with the Advertising Standards Authority today to press these issues.”
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4 Comments
To some extent I work on all the photographs that I take and you can see examples at http://gradwellphotography.co.uk/secrets.html Recently I took a photo of a child who had a graze on their forehead. If I had a lot longer to take the photos then it wouldn’t have been seen. As it was a few clicks on the computer removed it.
I don’t know how airbrushing will be defined and I don’t know how to distinguish the terrible effects of the work that I do from that of advertisers for children, but we will need beauty police and beauty courts. It will inevitably lead to the use of ‘perfect’ models only from the most expensive studios to limit the changes on computer to comply with the legal standards. Does a change of exposure constiute airbrushing as this may hide a blemish? I could go on for days on this subject and I do write a daily blog on photography and all photos have been manipulated in some way.
I actually think my photos have a positive effect on people’s esteem.
“Won’t somebody please think of the children?”
I don’t think this is about beauty police.
It is trying to change the mindset of advertisers that they have to use ‘perfect’ models.
I don’t think they always thought this way – Views please?
( mind you in the past – magazines and tv /film media did not have such good reliable reproduction and resolution)
On BBC Breakfast yesterday morning a young girl explained how she overcame anorexia. Importantly she admitted that she had been influenced by size Zero women who seem to be the only suucessful ones on TV and film. Almost immediately afterwards the caring BBC had an interview with a Russian model – size Zero of course. This ‘airbrushing’ campaign can be taken much wider to an attack on the media obsession with size Zero women. If nothing is done our young women will continue to try not to eat, except the obese ones of course. Are no women size 14 or 16 any more?