Image by Glitter Feet on Flickr
Airbrushed photographs could be given government health warnings in France to protect women from “false” images of female beauty.
There are so many different ways to unpack the issues this raises, I wish I could find an animated .gif of the puzzle box from Hellraiser to illustrate. Let’s run down a probably-incomplete list:
- There is certainly an argument to be made in favor of honesty.
- Advertisements might be exaggerating things? What has the world come to?
- There’s no small measure of old-fashioned political hypocrisy in play on the part of French President Sarkozy’s party-mate, Valerie Boyer. (Sarkozy and his wife have been retouched in various media; both professionally (his wife is a former model) and for mere vanity — his love handles were minimized in a publicity shoot). Pot, this is Kettle. Come in, Kettle.
To say this is seemingly-simple move has a lot of layers to it is kind of like calling an Ogre an Onion. (Hey, just because it’s being done in France, you didn’t think I was going to say anything about cake, did you?)
On the face of it (pardon the pun), this political posturing looks absurd. Warnings on things like alcohol, tobacco, and medications make sense, because there is a direct health risk from their use or mis-use. It’s a lot trickier to try and prove any kind of causal relationship between exposure to retouched photographs and serious conditions such as anorexia or bulemia. Unfortunately, Ms. Boyer doesn’t make a particularly strong argument to support her case:
“We want to combat the stereotypical image that all women are young and slim. These photos can lead people to believe in a reality that does not actually exist, and have a detrimental effect on adolescents.”
Anyone else want to suggest that this woman simply go outside with her eyes open (or perhaps merely purchase a mirror) and get a real-time dose of actual human contact, replete with a wide range of people in various shapes, sizes, colors, and smells? You want a world where everyone is roughly the same age and shape? Play the original version of The Sims or World of Warcraft. Even the rudimentary character customization available in Anarchy Online gives lie to this so-called fantasy world Ms. Boyer is so concerned about. She might be able to make a case about excessive idealization (which, it should be noted, is something rather different than a wholesale stereotype) if she spends much time with Aion, but that’s about it.
That criticism having been made, is there anything worthwhile about this proposal? It’s not like the photoshopping of images used in magazines and advertisements is particularly subtle (and, if you’re savvy with the program, it can be done surprisingly quickly). Personally, I find the retouching of entertainment or marketing images to be relatively benign, since it’s intended to catch attention and sell a product (or person). On the other hand, when it’s applied to images where the viewer has a reasonable expectation of veracity and honesty, that’s not cool.
But, back to the topic at hand — is the manipulation of these images unhealthy?
We’ve discussed the subject of the idealized physiques presented to us in our gaming environments previously, and those criticisms still hold water. There is a lot of aesthetic pressure in contemporary society, even without stacking the deck even further in favor of the pretty people we’re presented with. It’s probably safe to say that Megan Fox and Clive Owen don’t need a heck of a lot of help from the airbrush team to still be towards the upper end of the general public’s pulchritude spectrum, so applying it anyways is bordering on overkill.
The distinction between fantasy entertainment and reality may be getting narrower every day, but there’s still a fairly substantial gulf between the two. That said, if someone is predisposed towards having body-image issues that are exacerbated by exposure to idealized media images, that’s why we have mental health and nutrition professionals.
A warning label isn’t going to cut it.
Most of us have got enough insecurities about our looks/weight/complexion/hairline/figure already, thanks. Maybe there is some merit in reminding (or educating) folks that what they’re seeing isn’t 100% natural, so we’re not killing ourselves to reach an impossible goal. Busting your butt to reach realistic ones? Totally awesome. However, I don’t think too many of us are picking up a pair of rollerblades or dumbbells in order to be mistaken for Witchblade or Dr. Manhattan on a daily basis. (To help lend some versimilitude to cosplay once or twice a year? Maybe. I have an awesome Little Orphan Annie getup…)
Related posts:
The only time that this makes sense in any way would be if photoshop was used to show results that were false for skin creams or weight loss supplements. However, look at the commercials that used to feature Anna Nicole Smith. You know darn well that she did a whole HELL of a lot more to lose that weight. Is that false advertisement too? Is it harmful to the general public or are we just supposed to be conditioned to know that advertisers are big fat liars?
Dear France,
Please let me keep saying to myself “of course I don’t have an ass like that, that one’s bound to be photoshopped” rather than confirming by the lack of a warning label that yes indeed someone’s ass is really that much nicer than mine.
kthnxbai!
-Rahnlin
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