As adults we all know that those seemingly perfect women portrayed within the pages of our favorite magazines are really photoshopped models. It is truly amazing what those skilled photoshop techs can do make a body appear to thin, flawless, & appeal to our sick cultural ideal physique (which tends to look malnourished and fragile). If you are not privy to this overused tool in our media, check out this link to see just what kind of alterations a few clicks of the mouse can make on a body/face.
Unfortunately, most of our children do not know that the pictures they see in their popular magazines are manipulated to create an image of perfection that is darn near impossible to reach. Many young women are going to extreme measures to emulate these fake ideals by starving themselves and getting plastic surgery before they even know the truths behind these images.
Julia Bluhm, a teen activist who recently led a crusade against these images in the popular Seventeen Magazine, has received a promise from the editor that they will stop altering body shapes in the magazine. Bluhm collected thousands of signatures online through Change.org to set into motion a groundbreaking step towards creating a more body-image friendly publication for teen girls. The magazine stated that they will use photoshopping for stray hairs, zits, stray bra straps and if they do alter a model then they vow to show before and after shots on their tumblr page.
Although this is a great first step in creating a ‘Body Peace Treaty’ for young women, there are still plenty of other media outlets that will continue to use altered photos to sell their products. Our best defense against the negative body image problem that is so prevalent amongst teens is to talk with them about the false ideal, the software, makeup and camera angles used to create an image of perfection that is only seen in ads, not in real life. Kids have enough to deal with… added stress from a negative body image is something that we can help them resolve by casting light on the manipulation in the media.
