In 2015, Zendaya called out Modeliste magazine for over retouching her photo, by sharing a side-by-side comparison of the before and after photos on her personal Instagram account. She took the opportunity raised awareness on the importance of self-loving and the harm of unrealistic beauty standard.
Recently, Bella Throne also took to her Instagram to share her thoughts on photoshopped photos. ‘I specifically asked for no re-touching on this photo’ Throne, said alongside a nude photoshoot for GQ magazine.
Although she looks flawless in the photo, like most other female celebrities on the media, Throne wants you to know unblemished or not, everyone has their own insecurities, ‘You might look at his photo and think oh shush Bella, but just know overtime someone looks in the mirror, they simply don’t see what everyone else sees.’
Being a public persona does not mean they are always perfect — and these celebrities want you to know they were nothing more than people, by themselves.
However, it is not a secret that the fashion industry finds untouched photos unacceptable.
When asked what was considered a normal amount of weight to remove on a model, a professional retoucher replied, ‘I would say 10, 20 pounds, at least.’
The sickening phenomenon also only seems to be found on female celebrity cover shoots, compared to male celebrities, an insider revealed.
In the fashion fantasy, where cellulite, acne, stretch marks and fats simply do not exist, a backlash against the use of retouching images is finally hitting an industry that has always been offering unrealistic physical appearance standards as a norm.
Images digitally adjusted to make models look thinner and more attractive must carry a warning label that they have been photoshopped under a new French law aiming to put a halt to society’s unhealthy beauty standards, say anorexia.
Image Source: AFP
Failure to comply with the new law comes with a fine of more than $44,000, or 30% of the expenses on the advertisement.
Exposing young audience to unrealistic body images often leads to a sense of self-deprecation and poor self-esteem which can impact health-related behaviour, shared by the Health Minister Marisol Touraine.
Will a change in the way in the fashion and advertising industry make a difference in how people see their bodies?
France is not the first country to introduce these kinds of rules, and hopefully won’t be the last one.
The new French law seems to be a bold statement against unrealistic beauty standards, and it is encouraging to see the government taking initiative to promote healthy beauty standards on society.
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