http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE50vaI1ZeI

This is the link to the video I was trying to show in class. If it doesn't work you can look up

Made Of Glass (Display Technologies Corning) on YouTube and it should come up :)

Scales of Justice: The Photoshop Trials

Figure A Figure B
Figure C

Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.

This mentality often has to be adopted when reviewing Photoshop. The program itself isn’t evil. Its creators did not have a long-term plan that Photoshop would be used as a political and social weapon on multiple levels. The marketers and advertisers who utilize what the program has to offer aren’t inherently evil either. Unfortunately, the desire to sell an idea or a product can be so overwhelming that the byproducts of the effort can be deleterious. Photoshop in the advertising world has become an overall “perfecter” of humanity, presenting inhumanly perfect models that then incite the masses to strive towards an unachievable goal. “Maybe she’s born with it?” (Maybelline.com). Sadly, in this day and age…it’s probably Photoshop. Though begun as a useful tool for editing images, Photoshop is now used to misguide consumers by over-editing models to unhealthy limits, thereby lowering the self-esteem of girls everywhere who try to imitate impossible canons of falsified advertisements. Governments recently have begun to act on the overwhelming data that proves the destructive effects of these images, but progress has been slow.

The halting progress of bills to prevent misleading advertising stems from the cyclical fact that the “cultural norms” of the United States place “dictate the importance of being physically attractive” (Martin, 20). Magazines are happy to cater to this desperately narcissistic society using “difficult-to-attain models of physical attractiveness” (Martin, 19).

The slow reaction of the government is not for lack of concerned parties arguing and lobbying for proper lawmaking. In July of 2011, The BBC reported on a case regarding Photoshop and its usage in misleading advertising. Britain’s Advertising Standards Association (ASA) was approached with a L’Oreal advertisement featuring Julia Roberts that British Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson claimed was “not representative of the results the products could achieve.” The ASA agreed with the claims, determining that the advertisement was a breach of conduct. This case represented not only the danger of false advertising but also of misrepresenting the perfect body for young girls (BBC.com).

The L’Oreal debacle was not the first time that the use of Photoshop has been criticized by a government. In France in 2009, lobbying occurred for a health warning on edited photographs: “Photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person.” French Parliamentarian Valerie Boyer commented on the proposed law, stating that edited advertisements “can make people believe in a reality that often does not exist” (CBSnews.com). In 2011 in the US, there was a push for “The Self Esteem Act,” which would require edited advertisements to have a disclaimer stating that they did not realistically represent the model. Mrs. Matlins, the main promoter of The Self Esteem Act, stated that, “our beauty culture is having wildly negative effects on girls and women” (CBSnews.com).

These wildly negative effects are not just supposition; there is extensive data confirming that girls are negatively affected by unrealistic body images in advertising. According to a study done by Girlguiding UK, “over half of 16- to 25-year-olds said the media made them feel that ‘being pretty and thin’ was the ‘most important thing’” (Bawdon, 28). A study by the Dove Self Esteem Fund found that 7 out of 10 girls felt that “they do not measure up in some way including their looks, performance in school and relationships” (Dove Self Esteem Fund Press Release). The Dove Self Esteem Fund was established in 2008 as “an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty” (Dove Self Esteem Fund Key Points). Sadly, even this company is not above idealistic advertising; according to CBS News, in Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign the models were digitally edited (CBSnews.com).

Girls in studies like these are not just insecure about their bodies—they are actively fighting them in order to achieve the perfect body. A study entitled Sex, Drugs, Alcohol and Young People, conducted done by the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, showed that 30% of girls as young as 11 years old “expressed dissatisfaction with their body weight,” and 10% were dieting. The statistics only got worse as girls got older; at 15, 46% were unhappy with their weight and 25% of them were dieting (Bawdon, 28). According to R. Peterson of the Journal of Business Ethics, 20% percent of 17-20 year olds suffer from the effects of an eating disorder (Peterson, 195). Overall, eight million Americans are thought to have eating disorders; seven million of these are women (eatingdisordersfacts.com).

These results hit close to home as well; the girls in these studies could be those at Emma Willard. An informal poll of 100 students in the Emma Willard community showed that 40% of them were unhappy with their bodies. 27 students were then shown a Photoshopped model (Figure A); 60% of students said that, at their best, they would still feel inadequate compared to her. 28 different students were shown the model not Photoshopped (Figure B), and this time only 24% of the girls questioned felt inadequate compared to her. Some members of the community carry the burden of self-esteem more heavily than others; for Proctors, the responsibility of encouraging others to be comfortable with their bodies is additional to concerns about their own bodies. One proctor worries about her freshmen and how “susceptible they are to the inaccurate portrayals of bodies that the media throws at them every day.”

Young girls are not the only group affected by the harmful effects of advertisers and their misuse of Photoshop. In fact, female consumers in general are not the only audience suffering from marketers’ lack of morals. In April of 2009, CBS News reported on the release of a model from her Ralph Lauren Contract. Officials at Ralph Lauren stated that she was “[unable] to meet the obligations of her contract with us [Ralph Lauren].” Model Fillipa Hamilton stated that it was because she was “overweight.” As a 120, 5’8” pound woman this excuse seems mystifying but her argument was understood when Ralph Lauren marketers Photoshopped her to appear skeletal their advertising campaign (Figure C) (CBSnews.com). In 2006, Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos died after walking down the catwalk during fashion week. She had been on a “greens and diet coke” diet for three months in order to lose a significant amount of weight, after being told that magazines would pay more to have her model if she “needed less retouching” (dailymail.co.uk). Those in the fashion industry are aware of the unhealthy standard. Steve Bloomfield, a spokesman for the Eating Disorders Association, said "We do think legislation is needed.” He later mentioned protecting not only those who work in the fashion industry, but also “those who are at risk of an eating disorder and can be influenced by the pictures that they see” (thisislondon.co.uk).

As Ms. Swinson , a representative in the L’Oreal case said, “There's a problem out there with body image and confidence. The way excessive retouching has become pervasive in our society is contributing to that problem (BBC.com).” R. Peterson, in the Journal of Business Ethics claims that it is “overwhelming” how much a picture is allowed to be edited (Peterson, 497). According to Fiona Bawdon of New Statesman, professionals are “convinced that the number of teenage girls with an eating disorder is going up, and that sufferers are getting younger” (Bawdon, 28).

So what will happen? Governments are slow to take action, and marketers fight with tooth and nail to prevent legislation for a disclaimer to mar their advertisements. Emma Willard students are not divided on the issue of unrealistic media standards. One student, when asked if the Figure B model made her feel “inadequate” stated, “Of course she does! If I wanted to look like her I’d have to wear a mask. And if I wanted a body like hers, I’d have to starve myself. It’s amazing to me that anyone would be affected enough by this that they would change their diets, but after looking at this picture I know that I’ll have a salad for lunch and I’ll exercise a little longer tonight. That’s how it starts, I guess.” She shrugged, but she perfectly encapsulated the concerns of all scientists and doctors: girls get the wrong idea of beauty from everything they see. Everywhere young girls and women look, there’s another misleading photograph featuring someone who, in real life, has all of the same insecurities as the viewer has. Photoshop has, in essence, erased the root of these insecurities for the celebrity, but only worked to exacerbate them in the young girl looking at the advertisement. The abusers of Photoshop may never come to justice, so a new message must be spread to the down trodden girls and women who have suffered at the hands of these immoral advertisers; no matter who you are or how you look in photographs, when you look in the mirror, you should unequivocally see “The Fairest One of All.”

Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.

This mentality often has to be adopted when reviewing Photoshop. The program itself isn’t evil. Its creators did not have a long-term plan that Photoshop would be used as a political and social weapon on multiple levels. The marketers and advertisers who utilize what the program has to offer aren’t inherently evil either. Unfortunately, the desire to sell an idea or a product can be so overwhelming that the byproducts of the effort can be deleterious. Photoshop in the advertising world has become an overall “perfecter” of humanity, presenting inhumanly perfect models that then incite the masses to strive towards an unachievable goal. “Maybe she’s born with it?” (Maybelline.com). Sadly, in this day and age…it’s probably Photoshop. Though begun as a useful tool for editing images, Photoshop is now used to misguide consumers by over-editing models to unhealthy limits, thereby lowering the self-esteem of girls everywhere who try to imitate impossible canons of falsified advertisements. Governments recently have begun to act on the overwhelming data that proves the destructive effects of these images, but progress has been slow.

The halting progress of bills to prevent misleading advertising stems from the cyclical fact that the “cultural norms” of the United States place “dictate the importance of being physically attractive” (Martin, 20). Magazines are happy to cater to this desperately narcissistic society using “difficult-to-attain models of physical attractiveness” (Martin, 19).

The slow reaction of the government is not for lack of concerned parties arguing and lobbying for proper lawmaking. In July of 2011, The BBC reported on a case regarding Photoshop and its usage in misleading advertising. Britain’s Advertising Standards Association (ASA) was approached with a L’Oreal advertisement featuring Julia Roberts that British Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson claimed was “not representative of the results the products could achieve.” The ASA agreed with the claims, determining that the advertisement was a breach of conduct. This case represented not only the danger of false advertising but also of misrepresenting the perfect body for young girls (BBC.com).

The L’Oreal debacle was not the first time that the use of Photoshop has been criticized by a government. In France in 2009, lobbying occurred for a health warning on edited photographs: “Photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person.” French Parliamentarian Valerie Boyer commented on the proposed law, stating that edited advertisements “can make people believe in a reality that often does not exist” (CBSnews.com). In 2011 in the US, there was a push for “The Self Esteem Act,” which would require edited advertisements to have a disclaimer stating that they did not realistically represent the model. Mrs. Matlins, the main promoter of The Self Esteem Act, stated that, “our beauty culture is having wildly negative effects on girls and women” (CBSnews.com).

These wildly negative effects are not just supposition; there is extensive data confirming that girls are negatively affected by unrealistic body images in advertising. According to a study done by Girlguiding UK, “over half of 16- to 25-year-olds said the media made them feel that ‘being pretty and thin’ was the ‘most important thing’” (Bawdon, 28). A study by the Dove Self Esteem Fund found that 7 out of 10 girls felt that “they do not measure up in some way including their looks, performance in school and relationships” (Dove Self Esteem Fund Press Release). The Dove Self Esteem Fund was established in 2008 as “an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty” (Dove Self Esteem Fund Key Points). Sadly, even this company is not above idealistic advertising; according to CBS News, in Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign the models were digitally edited (CBSnews.com).

Girls in studies like these are not just insecure about their bodies—they are actively fighting them in order to achieve the perfect body. A study entitled Sex, Drugs, Alcohol and Young People, conducted done by the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, showed that 30% of girls as young as 11 years old “expressed dissatisfaction with their body weight,” and 10% were dieting. The statistics only got worse as girls got older; at 15, 46% were unhappy with their weight and 25% of them were dieting (Bawdon, 28). According to R. Peterson of the Journal of Business Ethics, 20% percent of 17-20 year olds suffer from the effects of an eating disorder (Peterson, 195). Overall, eight million Americans are thought to have eating disorders; seven million of these are women (eatingdisordersfacts.com).

These results hit close to home as well; the girls in these studies could be those at Emma Willard. An informal poll of 100 students in the Emma Willard community showed that 40% of them were unhappy with their bodies. 27 students were then shown a Photoshopped model (Figure A); 60% of students said that, at their best, they would still feel inadequate compared to her. 28 different students were shown the model not Photoshopped (Figure B), and this time only 24% of the girls questioned felt inadequate compared to her. Some members of the community carry the burden of self-esteem more heavily than others; for Proctors, the responsibility of encouraging others to be comfortable with their bodies is additional to concerns about their own bodies. One proctor worries about her freshmen and how “susceptible they are to the inaccurate portrayals of bodies that the media throws at them every day.”

Young girls are not the only group affected by the harmful effects of advertisers and their misuse of Photoshop. In fact, female consumers in general are not the only audience suffering from marketers’ lack of morals. In April of 2009, CBS News reported on the release of a model from her Ralph Lauren Contract. Officials at Ralph Lauren stated that she was “[unable] to meet the obligations of her contract with us [Ralph Lauren].” Model Fillipa Hamilton stated that it was because she was “overweight.” As a 120, 5’8” pound woman this excuse seems mystifying but her argument was understood when Ralph Lauren marketers Photoshopped her to appear skeletal their advertising campaign (Figure C) (CBSnews.com). In 2006, Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos died after walking down the catwalk during fashion week. She had been on a “greens and diet coke” diet for three months in order to lose a significant amount of weight, after being told that magazines would pay more to have her model if she “needed less retouching” (dailymail.co.uk). Those in the fashion industry are aware of the unhealthy standard. Steve Bloomfield, a spokesman for the Eating Disorders Association, said "We do think legislation is needed.” He later mentioned protecting not only those who work in the fashion industry, but also “those who are at risk of an eating disorder and can be influenced by the pictures that they see” (thisislondon.co.uk).

As Ms. Swinson , a representative in the L’Oreal case said, “There's a problem out there with body image and confidence. The way excessive retouching has become pervasive in our society is contributing to that problem (BBC.com).” R. Peterson, in the Journal of Business Ethics claims that it is “overwhelming” how much a picture is allowed to be edited (Peterson, 497). According to Fiona Bawdon of New Statesman, professionals are “convinced that the number of teenage girls with an eating disorder is going up, and that sufferers are getting younger” (Bawdon, 28).

So what will happen? Governments are slow to take action, and marketers fight with tooth and nail to prevent legislation for a disclaimer to mar their advertisements. Emma Willard students are not divided on the issue of unrealistic media standards. One student, when asked if the Figure B model made her feel “inadequate” stated, “Of course she does! If I wanted to look like her I’d have to wear a mask. And if I wanted a body like hers, I’d have to starve myself. It’s amazing to me that anyone would be affected enough by this that they would change their diets, but after looking at this picture I know that I’ll have a salad for lunch and I’ll exercise a little longer tonight. That’s how it starts, I guess.” She shrugged, but she perfectly encapsulated the concerns of all scientists and doctors: girls get the wrong idea of beauty from everything they see. Everywhere young girls and women look, there’s another misleading photograph featuring someone who, in real life, has all of the same insecurities as the viewer has. Photoshop has, in essence, erased the root of these insecurities for the celebrity, but only worked to exacerbate them in the young girl looking at the advertisement. The abusers of Photoshop may never come to justice, so a new message must be spread to the down trodden girls and women who have suffered at the hands of these immoral advertisers; no matter who you are or how you look in photographs, when you look in the mirror, you should unequivocally see “The Fairest One of All.”

Works Cited

“A Second Ralph Lauren Photoshop Mess Emerges.” CBSnews.com. CBS, October 2009. Web.

10 January 2012.

“A Second Ralph Lauren Photoshop Mess Emerges.” Photograph. CBSnews.com. CBS,

October 2009. Web. 10 January 2012.

“About The Dove Self Esteem Fund.” Rocketxl.com. Dove, 2008. Web. 20 January 2012.

“Airbrushed Makeup Ads Banned for ‘Misleading.’” BBC.com. BBC, July 2011. Web. 11

January 2012.

Bawdon, Fiona. “No model for girls: controversy over "size zero" models is no longer confined

to the fashion industry. There is now solid evidence that images of super-thin celebrities in

the media have a direct effect on the well-being of teenagers.” New Statesman, Vol. 136.

No. 48 (2007): 28. Web.

Beforeandafterphotoshop. “Britney Murphy.” Photograph.

Beforeandafterphotoshop.blogspot.com. Britney Murphy Photoshop, June 2005. Web. 22

January 2012.

“Eating Disorders Facts.” Eatingdisordersfacts.org. n.p., 2005. Web. 12 January 2012. Emma Willard Student. Personal Interview. 12 January, 2012.

Emma Willard Student. Personal Interview. 19 January, 2012.

Emma Willard Students (100). Informal Poll. 24 January-26 January, 2012.

“French Pols Want ‘Fashion Police’ to Ban Retouched Models in Ads.” CBSnews.com. CBS,

September 2009. Web. 20 January 2011.

Martin, Mary C., James W. Gentry. “Stuck in the Model Trap: The Effects of Beautiful Models

in Ads on Female Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents.” Journal of Advertising , Vol. 26.

No. 2 (1997): 19-34. Web.

Peterson, Robin T. “Bulimia and Anorexia in an Advertising Context.” Journal of Business

Ethics, Vol. 6. No. 6 (1987): 495-504. Web.

“Press and Official Links.” Rocketxl.com. Dove, 2008. Web. 20 January 2012.

“Pressure Mounts for ‘Ban’ on Size Zero Models.” Thisislondon.co.uk. London Evening

Standard, 2006. Web. 20 January 2012.

“The Self Esteem Act: Parents Push for Anti-Photoshop Law in U.S. to Protect Teens from

Unrealistic Body Image Ideals.” Dailymail.co.uk. Mail Online, October 2011. Web. 20

January 2012.

http://fittoyourbody.com/images/world-obesity-visualization.jpg


http://bookbing.org/wp-content/uploads/childhood-obesity-vicious-
cycle.jpg







http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/obesity_41.jpg

Self-Esteem and Perceptions of Body Image in the Media

DIFFERENT

“Caroline, look up. See right there, where I’m pointing? That’s the Big Dipper.”

“Daaaaad, what are you looking at? There aren’t any stars in the sky yet.”

When I was in second grade, I learned that I needed glasses. Once I became aware of my weak eyesight, several obscured memories suddenly became clear. It all made sense: why I had to sit in the front of class to be able to see the chalkboard, why I got in trouble for squinting at another girl, and most of all, why everything around me had become faded, fuzzy outlines of what used to be a definite, concrete world.

A little while later, I sat for an exam, received my prescription, and returned a week afterwards for my glasses. When I left the doctors office, wearing my new lenses, it was as if I had entered a whole new world. Everything that was so blurry before was suddenly dazzlingly bright and clear, and I couldn’t stop gawking at my surroundings. I was so thrilled about my transformed vision that I hadn’t even considered what wearing these clarifying specs would do to my appearance. The thought didn’t cross my mind until the first day of school, where my teacher exclaimed how different I looked. The moment she said those words, I felt different, and it was as though an invisible curtain had been lifted in front of me. My glasses, once so prized and beautiful, now felt very large and awkward on my face. All of the happiness I had felt from being able to see had disappeared, and now more than anything I wished I could see like any other kid instead of looking like Arthur the aardvark from on of my favorite PBS television shows. Following this realization, I began to have many “incidents” that caused me to “accidentally” leave my beloved spectacles at home. Some of those mishaps included: forgetting them on my way to get the bus, putting them on the dog, and even attempting to flush them down the toilet. I would have done anything to be normal, and not be the four-eyed kid in second grade.

http://www.framesdirectblog.com/eyeglass-books-for-kids/

“Body image is influenced strongly by self-esteem and self-evaluation, more so than by external evaluation by others. It can, however, be powerfully influenced and affected by cultural messages and societal standards of appearance and attractiveness. Given the overwhelming prevalence of thin and lean female images and strong and lean male images common to all westernized societies, body image concerns have become widespread among adolescents”(Croll 155).

A regrettable aspect of today’s society is the overwhelming amount of attention that is paid to looks, and the newest version of the “perfect body.” In the ancient world of the West Hemisphere, beauty was assessed by curves and a full figure, which exhibited wealth and a comfortable living. Throughout time, that original depiction of beauty slowly evolved into a completely transformed concept of good looks and appeal. Today, the general description of physical perfection in a young woman from America comes in the form of a woman with a thin figure, long-legs and medium-size curves. This greatly desired look, while it appears to be worth the sacrifices of changing ones exterior, is actually very misleading. A multitude of popular children’s toys are angled towards this image, however, their seemingly flawless body shapes that are so heavily advertised in the media are not realistic. If Barbie were blown up to a real size, her head wouldn’t be able to be supported by her thin, long neck, and her upper body proportions would make it difficult for her walk upright in a normal manner. If her male counterpart, Ken were real, his wide barrel chest and enormously thick neck would make it nearly impossible to wear a shirt. If these skewed versions of an average person are what represent beauty in current society, then why is self-confidence and comfort with one’s body still a pressing matter?

http://www.epi.umn.edu/let/pubs/img/adol_ch13.pdf

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7920962.stm

These highly coveted figures are merely distorted versions of what an average person looks like. According to Chapter 13 of Guidelines for Adolescent Nutrition Services, the average female model is 5’10” and weighs 110 pounds, while the average American female is 5’4” and weighs 144 pounds. That makes the average model at least 30 pounds lighter and 6 inches taller than the average female looking at her.

The media is a major factor in influencing self-esteem, due to the constant displays of what “the ideal person” looks like through a variety of mediums especially in the form fashion periodicals. “Magazines targeted at female adolescents are full of images of young, slim, attractive, blemish-free females with small waists, large chests and only ever-so-slightly-rounded hips, while magazines produced for males are full of strong, lean, attractive, blemish-free males, frequently displayed with the aforementioned females in close proximity. Beauty pageants continue to be a popular and avidly watched showcase of ideal societal beauty.” These messages are displayed everywhere, and continually reinforce the desire of America’s youth to look just like the beautiful, perfect people they see constantly, who in reality aren’t what they appear to be.

http://catherineporter07.wordpress.com/tag/cosmopolitan/

BEACHES

A lot of things come to mind upon mention of the word “beach,” most commonly the worries women feel when presented with this situation. These concerns range from making sure to bring lots to sunscreen to how their bodies will look in a bathing suit. Whether pleasant or uncomfortable, most memories of the beach are distinctly vivid. In my family, we have a large variety of interesting moments that occurred at the beach. But none of us can compare to those of my younger sister, Grace. Two summers ago, my siblings and I felt like we were the luckiest kids in the world, because we were going to Hawaii, the paradise island of the United States. While we were there, we got to experience a myriad of unique events: surfing, parasailing, snorkeling, exploring the islands, etc., and most often, relaxing by the ocean.

One day, when my mom, Gracie and I were cooling off in the ocean, playing a round of our favorite but never ending game, Twenty Questions. I was in the middle of asking my mom if her “thing” was an animal when Grace suddenly shrieked and pointed to something behind me. Fearing the worst, my mom and I whipped around to see nothing but a rather large woman and her kids making a sand castle. Gracie, who I then noticed was giggling, whispered to my mom, “Whoa. Mom, her boobs are bigger than my head!”

Clearly not expecting that exclamation from Grace, neither of us responded for a moment, taking in what she had said. Then my mom silently took Gracie’s hand, led her back to shore, and sat down with her on the beach. While I watched them talk, I tried to understand what had just happened. Sure, Gracie didn’t know any better, but I felt bad that the woman’s feelings may have gotten hurt if she had heard her. What if she thought that Grace had meant it?

“Body image is the dynamic perception of one’s body– how it looks, feels, and moves. It is shaped by perception, emotions, physical sensations, and is not static, but can change in relation to mood, physical experience, and environment.” (Croll 163)

The situation of self-confidence in young teenagers is a serious issue, as it can lead to several troubling repercussions in the lives of America’s youth, such as dieting, or increased poor self-esteem. However, there are several means of avoiding these effects. By becoming aware of the overt media tactics that are targeted at young people, adolescents can make their way through the life-long sea of media they will encounter, and lead more confident and happy lives. They come to be empowered and can experience media in a different way. If progressions like this were to be more recurrent, then there would be a substantial amount of potential for a gradual change in perspective towards body image, and sequentially self-esteem in impending generations.

WORKS CITED

Lyness, D’Arcy.“Body Image and Self-Esteem.” TeensHealth. The Nemours Foundation: 1995. Web. 09 January 2012.

Stang J, Story M. eds. Guidelines for Adolescent Nutrition Services. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Leadership, Education and Training in Maternal and Child Nutrition, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota: 2005. Web. 09 January 2012.