Bravo to members of the Eating Disorders Coalition who recently lobbied for the Truth in Advertising Act of 2014! The bill proposes that the Federal Trade Commission investigates the impact that digitally altered images have on our society. Seth Matlins, a marketer, offered the following striking point: “If photoshopped ads told the same bold-faced lies that they do on images there would be regulatory action.” (Rhodan, 2014, para. 4).
People can (and do) contend that media doesn’t cause eating disorders. This is probably true when we consider that nearly everyone is exposed to these visuals, but only a certain percent get sick with eating disorders. However, let’s review a pivotal study by Anne Becker and colleagues (2002). Three years after the introduction of Western television into the traditional Fijian culture, disordered eating attitudes strengthened and vomiting to lose weight increased from 0% to 11.3% among the female adolescent study participants. This happened in a culture that had seemed historically protected from dieting.
Interestingly, Israel seems way ahead of the United States in “getting it,” meaning the impact of ultra-slim and altered images on a society. In 2012, Israel “passed a law banning the use of underweight models in advertising. The legislation, known as the ‘Photoshop Law,’ also requires that agencies tell their audience if they’ve digitally altered pictures to make models look thinner” (Frantz, 2012, para. 1). Standing ovation for the Photoshop Law!
On a different note, Ellen DeGeneres called attention to a recent, controversially photoshopped ad for Target. She used a unique approach to highlight the matter. I can’t seem to accurately describe it excepting maybe a “reverse photoshop.” Here’s the link: http://fashionista.com/2014/04/photoshop-target-model-ellen/
In conclusion, awareness of and movement toward reducing unrealistic body ideal is progress and positive change. Fingers are crossed for the Truth in Advertising Act of 2014!
References:
Becker, A. E., Burwell, R. A., Herzog, D. B., Hamburg, P., & Gilman, S. E. (2002). Eating behaviours and attitudes following prolonged exposure to television among ethnic Fijian adolescent girls. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 180, 509-514. Retrieved from http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/180/6/509.full.pdf
Frantz, A. (2012, March 20). New Israeli law bans use of too-skinny models in ads [Web log posting]. Retrieved from http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/20/new-israeli-law-bans-use-of-too-skinny-models-in-ads
Rhodan, M. (2014, April 3). Lobbyists push congress to curb misleading photoshopped ads, Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/48853/lobbyists-push-congress-to-curb-misleading-photoshopped-ads/
