Every store or restaurant I‘ve visited recently seems to be engaging in some kind of corporate social responsibility (CSR) act. For example, Gourmet Burger Kitchen are donating a percentage of their proceeds to help save a kiwi in New Zealand, an endangered and iconic animal potentially on the verge of extinction. I was especially pleased to recently read about UK retailer Debenhams latest endeavour to tackle body issues. In attempts to promote a positive body image & self esteem amongst young girls, Debenhams vow to not retouch model shots. That means:
- Photoshopped lingerie shots are banned
- No more arm & leg thinning, teeth whitening or bust boosting
- Only airbrushing minor features like pigmentation or stray hair are allowed
It’s no surprise that we are living in a society where the number of eating disorders cases have shot up. Each year, the ages at which they start seem to become younger and younger. For example girls as young as 12 are unhappy with their weight and, who don’t know better, skip meals in an effort to slim. Although there are various contributing factors, I’m tempted to say that huge influences are the media and exposure to airbrushed images i.e. striving to achieve perfect celebrity physiques.
The bottom line is that stores, magazines and various other sources of media are selling us a product. Although some celebrities/models request a bit of retouching, the use of digital photography techniques is more to make men & women feel more insecure about their natural looks and size. The more we feel great about ourselves, the less likely we feel the need to buy products to repair, enhance and/or disguise. Therefore advertisers have to make customers feel like they need these products to reach these unreal, idealistic standards.
But you know what? These perfect figures do NOT exist. Have a look:
I personally think that the above celebrities look great in the “Before”, untouched photos. If anything, they appear more relatable. Although there’s a still a long way to go before other retailers and publications follow suit, Debenhams ban sets a good example and is certainly a step in the right direction. Whether or not profit is Debenhams’ main motive for their latest CSR take-on, I have no doubt that it will also equally benefit consumers …if not more. As a consumer, my inclination to shop there has definitely increased.
No questions today, but am curious to know your thoughts…
I’m not familiar with this company, but good for them! I think this is definitely a good thing. But I wonder how much effect it will really have… I think the bigger issue is society’s glorification of thinness. I mean, even before retouching, all the celebrities/models in those pictures are already thin. I think we need promote body acceptance by using curvier, more realistic models and actors in order to have any impact on eating disorder rates.
Agreed! I think this is a step in the right direction, but the issue is a lot bigger than retouching photographs. In order to change the way people think about body image and think about themselves and others, we need more companies to use models of all sizes/body frames, to talk about body image in a new, more holistic way (small is not the only way!!!!).
Great post, K! Love that you’re bringing this up and creating discussion.
Thanks for your feedback and I couldn’t agree more. Imperfection is much more attractive in reality!
You’re absolutely right! I love that companies like Dove are actually using regular, curvy women as part of their advertising campaigns!
I totally agree, the celebrities look way better in the before picture – at least to me. And I think that every little support, help and step towards a better body image is a win, so I really like this campaign. I think the problem is, that the glorification of perfect bodies is still way too strong and in my opinion, it will still take a LOT of time until we reached the full acceptance of any body type. But as said – every little step counts!
Rather than deem slim bodies as “wrong”, hopefully this will lead to a greater acceptance and appreciation of various body sizes!
I’m with you that the before pictures are better… they look like real, healthy people! It always amazes me how much they change photos for ads and such. It’s just a big lie which drives me crazy! Beauty isn’t about being thin or having no flaws, but because of how companies advertise, that’s what a lot of people think. So I’m so glad to hear that steps are being taken to stop falsifying what beauty is! 🙂
Especially for younger people, these kinds of figures are all they know..which leaves them with no choice but to think that’s how they should look!
such an interesting thought. I am all for promoting natural, more realistic looking models in terms of makeup, hair products, swim suit whatever the case maybe..I am sure if more companies start to follow similar concept, it will bring a huge revolution in the media which is much needed given the obsession with size O.
Hopefully it’s just a matter of time till other companies get a clue!
I agree- i think the celebrities “before” pics look great! especially the one of clooney- he looks plastic in the after pic! i think this is a GREAT initiative that Debenhams is starting, and i hope it catches on!!
Wrinkles or not, Clooney will always be a fox 😉
While I don’t think this will completely fix the problem of ED’s and body dissatisfaction, every little bit helps, and this is certainly a step in the right direction. I mean, for a 12 year old girl to see a retouched picture of Britney Spears and think that that’s the way they’re ‘supposed’ to look is extremely damaging. But like Chelsea says above, the media also need to focus on reversing the ‘super-skinny’ trend…most celebrities and models already fall into that camp without retouching or photoshop. I know some countries have started to enact laws around the use of models under a certain BMI, which is also a great step. Hopefully, we’ll get to the point where you don’t have to be a size 0-2 to get a print campaign, magazine cover, or walk the runway.
I think I heard about England setting a regulation regarding model BMI- thanks for the reminder…I’m curious to see how effective it was!
WHY would anyone want to touch that picture of George Clooney!? The wrinkles add to his sexiness! HAHA! I think the before pictures are great too. I love the idea of NOT photoshopping at all!!
Hahah I couldn’t agree more 🙂
Clooney looks sexy no matter what! I think it’s great. I’ve seen enough photos like the above to know that almost every photo I see is photoshopped, but sadly young girls may not realise the same thing.
Chances are young girls don’t know beauty beyond skinny models 🙁
Such an interesting post K! Good for Debenhams to promote natural beauty as opposed to photoshop. It reminds me of when I went for a fun photo shoot once and the guy trying to sell us the pictures of the shoot used photo shop to alter our pictures and get rid of things like bulges to make them look more attractive for us, and it was so easy for them to do! I would definitely feel happier when shopping if the models weren’t the most perfect earthlings ever, and more like the rest of us. 🙂
Ah I went for something similar ages ago and while it was cool at the time, I would almost feel like a fraud if I put those photos up!
I like this company 😉 I think it’s a great step to embrace real beauty! We are bombarded with images of perfection- it creates unrealistic expectations and I can’t help but wonder the wider implications that extend to life in general. Life is real and imperfections are often marks of the life lived. It’s hard enough being a women, let alone having to live up to standards of beauty that don’t exist! Reality is here to stay, bring on the untouched up- the models are already gorgeous for goodness sake! I think a realistic image makes me want to buy there product more too 🙂 xo Sophia
A life without imperfections is a life not lived..enough said 🙂
I love that they don’t use photoshopped models for clothes, makes me know what clothes will look like on a ‘regular’ body – be that they may be models, everyone has those bumps and lumps we’re not a fan of!
I hope this causes more body acceptance – wanting to lose weight for yourself is one thing, but to rely on standards that are unrealistic anyway is very sad..
Agreed! The worst is seeing an outfit on a mannequin/model and then it looking far from what you hoped when you try it on!
I remember the day I realized all of these photos are photoshopped… it belw my mind! It’s terrible how this has become the standard. why do we need to strive to an ideal that even the most “perfect” of celebs can’t achieve?!
It’s an unachievable ideal which is becoming more out of reach as technology improves…or so it seems!
Good post. I’m glad someone is starting that. It’s impossible to look like those magazine people. And if it isn’t even reality, what’s the point of creating that image? In general, I think people need to accept who they are and realize that people come in all shapes and sizes.
Agreed..there’s no universal shape or size for beauty!
This is a great thing they’re doing. We should be marketing real people and not some idolized version of perfection thats really unattainable. Good for this company.
Here’s hoping other companies take note!