As of today, any photoshopped models body image used in a magazine, advert or billboard will have to come with a warning, as such. There must be a label on the photoshopped or edited advert to indicate that the photo indeed has been enhanced or retouched. A ‘photographie retochée’ warning will have to be in clear view so that no-one is left under any false illusions!
Image doctoring is now considered a public health issue and France are really taking a stand against the photographers and fashion houses using stick thin models (or at least making them look so). Last year we seen the ban on stick thin models in France, which came as a welcome relief. At the end of the day, we don’t want to see emaciated models with their bones sticking out anywhere, never mind the catwalk. It is an unhealthy standard and not very pretty. But then again, they want you to look at the clothes and not the gaunt models eh? Poor them!
It is a step in the right direction for the rest of the world to hopefully follow, as without such laws in place, unrealistic body images promote an unhealthy lifestyle, especially in youngsters who can look at models as something to aspire to. Magazine spreads are filled with models who have unattainable figures due to photoshopping and image trickery. We see shop mannequins who have been found to be an impossible and completely unrealistic body shape, still being manufactured even though science has proven that the body shapes are completely inhuman due to the ratio of height to waist size and leg width etc. So why has nothing been done about this so far?
Is it even humanly possible to be as skinny as this Topshop mannequin? pic.twitter.com/fDJSO88v2L
— Samantha Jenkins (@samanthajenkins) October 30, 2014
It is about time someone put their foot down, for the sake of todays youth. With social media taking the spotlight among the young and impressionable these days, it seems like everyone is faking it already. With Instagram and Snapchat, Facebook and just about any other social media where we use photos, most people only ever put up the nice photos and well-lit selfies with the right angles and so on. Then you pick up a magazine and there are all those airbrushed and photoshopped images of perfection to compare yourself with. It is a hard thing for a young adult to deal with, constant pressure to reach a level of false perfection.
Poor self-esteem, depression and self-loathing are just a few of the mental health issues that can go with all that comparison and striving to conform to the “norm”. How hard it must be growing up in a society where beauty is considered an unattainable farce! Im not saying that all the people who put up gorgeous photos of themselves on Instagram and the other social medias based around photos are photoshopping, but some are and others feel the need to keep up with all the competition and so, aspire to copy magazine style pics to gain followers and attention. Luckily, most of us know it is all for show. It is the younger ones who look up to those people so they are the ones at risk. A lot of models came out and said that they were glad the new law had been passed against skinny models due to the constant pressure on them to stay so thin. A few anorexia survivors explained that they were called fat for being a few pounds overweight and got more modelling contracts the thinner they were. I don’t know why this is deemed as an attractive look. Perhaps because the are like a human clothes hanger?
The great news, is that nowadays in France, if you want to work in modelling, you must have a doctors letter confirming that you are fit and well in order to be allowed to work. This will hopefully crack down on the body shaming and health issues involved.Earlier this month, LVMH and Kering, who own Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton have announced they they will ban size zero models. A sigh of relief for anyone who is starving themselves daily in order to get a job on the runway.
Back to the main story here, the new law states that anyone who fails to comply with the labelling of photoshopped or doctored photos that alter body shapes, will face a fine of up to EUR 37,500 or up to 30 percent of the price to produce the advertisement. Failure to comply can even lead to a six month jail stint. Nice one! They are less likely to mess with that law. However, the law only covers body altering and so far photoshopping is allowed on face and skin touch-ups. At least we are making progress in a fake world of unrealistic perceptions and I applaud France for standing up and saying something as it is indeed about loving your body and self in your natural form and not comparing yourself to the ridiculous stereotypes so often seen flaunted in the media.
Thankfully, we are seeing more and more plus-size models and realistic body shapes to help us feel more normal and to see that we fit in. At least we will have some idea what the clothes will look like on a real person. If you are reading this and happen to be a size zero or very thin, then please don’t take offence. I believe everyone is beautiful in their own unique way and once you are happy and confident in your own skin, that’s all that matters!
Heres to more of this confidence and morale boosting, bring it on!!!
We’re ready.
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