Selling Hope: The Widespread Effects of Photoshop
The goal in advertising is to sell hope. Hope that by purchasing a particular product or service one will receive the desired result. Hope this product will bring the same satisfaction it does to the people in the advertisement. However, for many products, this result has become nearly impossible.
As little girls in America we are taught what is beautiful. We are not only taught this expectation but are expected to fulfill it. This beauty standard is nearly impossible to fulfill. If one examines the Barbie doll, a classic representation of ideal beauty, the impractical nature of this beauty standard is easily revealed. “Researchers generating a computer model of a woman with Barbie-doll proportions found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and her body would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel. A real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition” (Bisseil, K., & Rask, A.) Jill Barad, president of Mattel, (which manufactures Barbie) estimated that 99% of girls aged 3 to 10 years old own at least one Barbie doll” (Morford, 2008). However impossible this beauty may be, Barbie is still who many young girls compare themselves to.
The already nearly impossible standard of beauty has recently been skewed even further. With the invention and widespread use of Photoshop, now only one percent of women can obtain our new standard (Bisseil & Rask, 2010). It is estimated that, in a typical magazine, 99.9% of the images are Photoshopped (Bisseil & Rask, 2010). This further distortion of beauty has led many to call into account its effects.
Some argue that we need a beauty standard to know what is socially acceptable. According to Alkon, “We don’t say, ‘hey, you weren’t born a genius, so why ever bother reading a book? Why should we treat physical appearance any differently’” (2010)? She argues the point that you do not need to look like the models in magazines, but women do need to keep up their appearance. In her argument she states that there are certain characteristics that men and women are biologically drawn towards. These ‘beauty standards’ are not placed in our minds by the media, but by biology. According to biology, “beauty standards are cues to a woman’s health [such as]: clear, smooth skin; full lustrous hair; full lips; bright eyes; and symmetrical features” (Bisseil, K., & Rask, A.).
The unrealistic beauty standard affects everyone. I focused my research on Caucasian, females living in America. The most effected segment of this group is young girls and teenagers (Engeln-Maddox, 2006). It is these young girls that are developing low self-esteem and eating disorders. “In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 per cent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that 50 to 70 per cent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight. Overall research indicates that 90% of women are dissatisfied with their appearance in some way” (Bisseil & Rask, 2010).
I do not think it is possible to call for a ban of all Photoshopped images, nor do I think this is the correct solution. Instead, I believe, consumers should be informed the image has been altered. "Under the Federal Trade Commission Act, advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive” (PR Newswire, 2011). Altering a photo to portray an unobtanable standard of beauty is deceptive. By placing a label on the photo, stating that it has been altered, women will become more aware. Although I believe this would be a step in the right direction, I do not know how much of an impact it would have on womens perception on beauty. The image of ‘perfection’ will always be out there, and women will always be striving to obtain this look.
I think a big step that many advertisers have been doing, in recent years, is broadining the standard of beauty. Many companies, such as Dove, have begun running campaigns that accept other women besides the size zero model as beautiful. The one thing I really like about the Dove campaign is it not only aims to change the standard of beauty but it also aims to educate. One of the focues in their campaign has to do with mothers educating their daughters. Although advertisers are constantly bombarding our lives with images of what it means to be beautiful, ultimately, it comes down to ones sense of self. If one has been educated to love her body for herself, then I think that is the first step. I do not believe this issue is all or nothing. I think that women should strive to be the best that they can be. However, when they take drastic measures, such as developing an eating disorder, that is when it becomes a problem.
Hope is something that drives a lot of our actions. Every woman wants to be considered beautiful. However, by using Photoshop in advertising, this ambition is anything but attainable. These Photoshopped images present women with an impossible standard of beauty. Until this standard is changed or women are more educated, the hope for achieving this standard is anything but possible.
Bibliography
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Bisseil, K., & Rask, A. (2010). Real women on real beauty: Self-discrepancy, internalisation of the thin ideal, and perceptions of attractiveness and thinness in Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. International Journal of Advertising, 643-668.
Engeln-Maddox. (2006). Buying a beauty standard or dreaming of a new life? Expectations associated with media ideals. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 258-66.
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