Should magazines/media have to disclose if they photoshop images of models?

Should magazines/media have to disclose if they Photoshop images of models?
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Should magazines/media have to disclose if they Photoshop images of models?
The wide range of content or materials available through both the digital and traditional media platforms for consumption by an equally diverse consumer base plays a significant role in shaping and even influencing the perception of individuals and society as a whole. The use of photographs or the art of photography, for instance, makes for one of the primary forms of art providing content that has revolutionized both traditional media and the advanced social media platforms of the current generation. Whilst it’s not bad or against the law to use the best-shot photos of models for promoting a given brand or product, the adverse repercussions of the negative influences created from such images is a cause for worry among all the stakeholders involved. The use of the Photoshop application to enhance or rather create modifications to the model’s appearance of their natural features is creating a deceptive perception of beauty among consumers with dire consequences of the same being witnessed across the global society. Photoshopped images of models portraying retouched waistlines that are thinner than normal, for instance, create a wrong impression to the consumers of what a beautiful waistline and sexuality mean for the consumers. Such depictions are unrealistic for both the male and female models. The unrealistic and deceptive depictions of ‘ideal’ body structures not only exert unwarranted pressure on the models themselves but also create the wrong perception of reality on impressionable individuals in society such as children and teenagers. The wrong perception of beauty leads to the adoption of unhealthy habits among consumers with the expectation of mirroring the unrealistic appearances of the models and other celebrities. Such expectations further lead to other adverse effects on the well-being of individuals and society as a whole including low self-esteem and anxiety disorders. Bullying and stigmatization of individuals with body structures or forms that are contradicting the unrealistic body shapes have also been found to be rampant across the diverse generations in society today. It is for such reasons that corporate organizations in the fashion and photography industry, as well as governments around the world, are putting up stringent measures to curb the often overlooked adverse effects of photoshopping images or rather the use of altered images in magazines and other media platforms. Disclosing the use of Photoshop in images of models should thus be a mandatory provision that receives unanimous adoption by all the stakeholders involved.
The pressure to meet unrealistic expectations from the fashion houses or designers and the ‘ideal’ forms suggested by other altered images exposes the models to unhealthy lifestyle habits that may have fatal consequences. Exquisite photos of models, celebrities, and other celebrated personalities in society have found their ways in newspapers, magazines, as well as billboards and other advertising platforms that reach the intended customer base. The fashion industry makes for one of the sectors that thrive on the use of photos with models wearing diverse brands from different designers and fashion houses in the industry. The modeling agencies and the models themselves are at times burdened with the pressures of meeting certain specifications of body size and weight required to walk the runways or even getting a call-up for the photoshoots. Some of the models may yield to the pressure and adopt unhealthy eating habits in the name of dieting to meet the requirements for accessing the coveted runway events especially for those organized by the leading fashion designers or houses in the industry. The death of renowned Israeli model, Hila Elmaliach, in 2007 from heart complications arising from anorexia makes for one of the unfortunate instances showcasing the extent of the damage posed by the perceptions developed from the clamor for unrealistic beauty and appearances. One is left to wonder that if such an individual within the profession could succumb to the pressures of maintaining unrealistic body forms, what of the common members of society who idolize the same models through the altered images availed in magazines and media.[Eggert, Nalina. “Is she Photoshopped? In France they now have to tell you.” BBC.com /news/world-europe-41443027 (accessed March 24, 2020).] [Horwath, Aaron. “Photoshop, Model, and the Law: How Far is Too Far?” Pixelz.com. /blog/photoshop-models-laws/ (accessed March 24, 2020).]
Besides product promotion, the photoshopped images also function to influence other aspects of a society’s culture, which necessitates disclosing any alteration of the original image to avoid misleading the community. Jean Kilbourne, a campaigner against the use of image alteration purports that advertisement goes beyond the selling of a product or brand to selling the images themselves, values, and other concepts of various elements of life including what should be perceived as normal. Kilbourne, who is also an author, further believes that the advertisements can influence who a person becomes, who they are, or even who they should be in life. The influence arising from the images used in such advertisements and the perceptions created of what is real or, for this case, considered ideal to the eyes of the advertisers may be misleading to the audience if the same lacks authenticity. Thus the purpose of using images or photos for models in magazines and other media platforms often goes beyond meeting the intended outcome of increased sales of a particular brand or product, which exposes consumers to undesired effects. The altered images tend to create new values based on appearances and thus damaging society’s cultural constitution. The altered images develop a society whose culture is based on people’s appearances and thus creating an obsession for unrealistic beauty. Consequently, societies are exposed to the erosion of the traditional values that form around the appreciation and tolerance of individuals for who they are and not for the thinness of their waists or other altered imaginations of ideal body forms. The shift in cultural values towards a culture that is appearance-oriented makes for one of the important reasons for encouraging the implementation of mandatory provisions requiring the disclosure of altered images whenever they are used in magazines and other media platforms.[Eggert, Nalina. “Is she Photoshopped? In France they now have to tell you.” BBC.com /news/world-europe-41443027 (accessed March 24, 2020).] [Eggert, Nalina. “Is she Photoshopped? In France they now have to tell you.” BBC.com https://w...