A revolutionary movement is afoot, calling for advertisers to own up to retouching photos of models and celebrities. Why?

To protect the self esteem of the next generation.

To let girls know that these images are not humanly possible.

To help girls and women find body-image-peace.

The Self Esteem Act is commendable. In theory.

Reality vs. Regulation

How can this possibly be monitored? How can an art director be held accountable for keeping track of every single modification made?

Some things simply happen in the natural course of photo correction – opening up for color, taking out background noise, eliminating spots. Innocently remove a shadow cast on a model’s face and quickly it’s a fine line as to whether they were also masking under-eye circles. 

To be clear, I’m not defending the exaggerations brought on by egregious retouching. I’m tired of looking at inhuman “beauty.” It’s simply that some things are two sides of the same coin.

But more importantly, who’s going to police every single photo-shoot with a before-and-after image to demonstrate reality?

Altered Reality

Even with disclaimers and before-and-after shots, there’s still the pesky issue of models being so ridiculously skinny that to glorify such an image is inherently damaging to the way most other women see themselves. Such body sizes are incredibly rare, though possible. What’s going to stop girls from aspiring to THAT?

I walked behind a 60-something woman, recently, with a flat stomach and no bum. I couldn’t help but think that she must work hard to make that happen. At what cost? For what motivation?

So Should You Support the Act?

Decide for yourself. But I think so. It takes a radical idea to get things started. Read more about it and decide if you want to sign the petition.

What do you think is a solution for magazines and advertising?

What do you think would motivate advertisers to use more real-size models?

Paula is a marketing strategist during the week and avid photographer on the weekends. With a goal to visit all 50 states, she writes about her adventures and shares history, observations, and laughter at Americana The Beautiful.