Makeup and tight clothes and small waists. This is what young people today consider  the norm. Commercials, television shows, and social networks corrupt teenagers; photoshop techniques erode the minds of teenargers and create a false sense of beauty. The media needs to create and enforce regulations that limit image editing.

Image editing creates false advertising to viewers and can lower self confidence. Ken Harris, a digital photo retoucher, says “I airbrush fashion photos of the glamourous models who broadcast idealized images of beauty around the world” (Malkan). In the documentary film Wet Dreams and False Images, “Harris demonstrated how he changes skin color, reshapes body parts and shaves pounds off models” (Malkan). This action sends the message to young people that their natural selves are not good enough. Photoshoppers “reshape bodies and smooth-out wrinkles, all that is there to alter your mind, to alter your conception of what physical beauty is” (Malkan) which should not be aloud. Continuing on, another example of the media being unhealthy towards their viewers would be how “It’s mandatory for food and medicine to be labeled accurately for the physical health of consumers--why shouldn’t images be labeled if they will affect the mental health of the reader” (Malkan)? It would be in the best interest of everyone if a solution would be constructed in order to fix this reckless issue. An act named as “The Truth in Advertising Act was introduced in Congress in 2014” (Menza) but has not taken off yet. “If passed, it would require the government to come up with a strategy to reduce the use of altered images in advertisements” (Menza). Congress could pass it in order for people to stop thinking that these photos of models are “normal.” We can see that the media is affecting its viewers “according to a 2014 survey, nearly three quarters of young woman edit photos of themselves before posting them to social media” (Menza). This is unacceptable. Viewers of this material have had the idea of  perfection beaten into the their minds every day as the media surrounds them. People should feel comfortable and naturally beautiful without the help of photo shopping. The revised images worked on by digital photo retouchers have “been worked on some 20 or 30 rounds going back and forth between the retouchers and the client and the agency. They’re perfected to death” (Malkan). It is no wonder why people have such low self esteem and buy the same products being advertised by these retouched photos. People pine for perfection because that is the only thing the media represents today. The final example is how people crave for change in the media. Even some celebrities such as “Lady Gaga, Colbie Caillat, Lorde, Jaime Lee Curtis, Keira Knightley” (Dockterman) have recognized this and have refused to be photoshopped to stand up against the unrealistic standard of beauty which produces low self confidence. Zendaya has recently been placed on this list. “Zendaya, being a positive role model, posted on her Instagram that she felt shocked and disappointed that her normal body size was altered in the photos” (D'Ambrosio) after her nineteen year old body was slimed down. Also, the company Aerie by American Eagle, refuses to change their images.  As stated in Krupnick’s article, this “store for lingerie, has launched aerie Real, a Spring 2014 ad campaign featuring all unairbrushed models. In a release on Friday, aerie announced that the ads are challenging supermodel standards by featuring unretouched models in their latest collection of bras, undies and apparel.” This shows a huge step forward in the clothing industry especially when it is as intimate as lingerie items. These actions completed by respected nonconformists are clearing a path for advertisements in the future. Yet, there is still a long way to go. The media has not completely grasped the subject due to the fact that photoshopping is still a topic of debate.

Most advertisers will argue that it makes the advertisement seem more perfect and appealing; however, salesmen do not need to over exaggerate human features in order to sell more product. Many viewers are fed up with these exaggerations and are attempting to fix this problem. “Last spring, more than 35,000 people signed a petition asking the government to regulate image retouching” (Menza). This proves that something needs to take place such as regulations and laws. Just because advertising agencies want to sell more product, does not give them the right to create unrealistic standards. These standards make viewers feel as if they are not good enough. The media creates false standards that are not obtainable nor real beauty.  An interesting quotation by Malkan said, “Product manufacturers are not going to keep something that looks flawed or natural...They’re concerned with selling their product.” However, people prefer to see a real woman compared to a woman who has been reworked multiple times by a digital photo retouchers. Human beings deserve to be comfortable in their own skin and natural selves and this can only improve if advertisers understand and apply what the people are begging for. Both men and women are being placed under the assumption that they have to be exemplary: perfect proportions, flawless facial features, and heavenly hair. Humans are not robots; they are born with flaws for a reason; companies do not apprehend that natural beauty is more appealing than photoshopped images.

Unfortunately, the media tries their best to create images of human-like Barbie dolls to keep their product and company name as perfect as possible. It is unfair to viewers; the outrageous standards given by advertisement companies are appalling. Photoshopping usually means distorting an image and in turn viewers minds with it. Regulations should be created and enforced in order to help viewers of media, gain self confidence instead of losing it.