It only took a few decades, but health professionals are now calling on advertisers to stop photoshopping models into oblivion.
Kim Kardashian's artificially thinned-down thighs are bad for your health, says the American Medical Association. Though it's been a common practice in fashion, publishing, and advertising for decades now, photoshopping pictures has also left millions of Americans, particularly women, with unhealthy body image issues. The nation's most revered medical body is now saying enough is enough.
The AMA this week formally denounced retouching pictures and asked ad agencies to consider setting stricter guidelines for how photos are manipulated before becoming advertisements. "We must stop exposing impressionable children and teenagers to advertisements portraying models with body types only attainable with the help of photo editing software," said AMA board member Barbara McAneny.
Last year in France, members of parliament advocated attaching warning labels to imagery that had been digitally enhanced; lawmakers in England have also dabbled with the idea. Perhaps the AMA's new stance will be the nudge America needs to follow our European friends' lead. Unfortunately, our staggering eating disorder statistics seem to not be enough.
Share on Facebook
