Life threatening health conditions such as anorexia nervosa and bullimia can be directly linked to the constant barrage of digitally enhanced photographs that are seen daily. Photoshopped images are on billboards, movie covers, advertisements, and fashion and beauty magazines. Impressionable girls and women see these images and think they must look like them to be beautiful, not knowing that these images are fake, and completely, humanly impossible. These harmful images mislead millions around the world and rob them of their self esteem. As other countries have begun to do, America must also adopt a labeling system to inform impressionable women and girls that the images they see are fictitious and unreal. The labeling system of digitally enhanced images is a good way to start combating health diseases in America.

Why Are Digitally Enhanced Photographs So Harmful?

• Digitally Enhanced photographs lead the viewer to believe what they see is real and attainable.


• "Airbrushing means that advertisements contain completely unattainable images that no one can live up to in real life. We need to help protect children from these pressures and we need to make a start by banning airbrushing in advertisements aimed at them..." Jo Swinson- British Parliament Member

What Is Being Done To Combat Unhealthy Body Image?

NEW Laws in England and France are being proposed to lawfully require labeling on ALL retouched and photoshopped photographs used commercially.

• BRITAINS' parliament is also proposing the "prohibition of faked photos that present overly perfected and unrealistic images of women in ads aimed at children and warning labels on similar ads aimed at adults".

• BLOGS such as photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com point out obvious photoshop and touch up mistakes in advertising photographs.

• DOVE and other companies launch campaigns stating "Dove strives to realistically portray women by accurately depicting their natural shape, size, skin color, and age. We have made the commitment not to distort any of our images to create an unrealistic or unattainable view of beauty..."

Causes of Eating Disorders

MAIN cause of eating disorders:

• PHOTO SHOP


• The Media


• T.V., Billboards, and magazines such as Seventeen, Voque Girl, and Cosmo Girl.


• Advertising on products such as cereal, toothpaste, gum, etc.


• Products are often advertised displaying the ideal body shape in the hope that it will enhance the product and create body dissatisfaction.

Study In Fiji-1999

• Women and girls on Island had low levels of eating disorders until Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210 were broadcasted. Within 38 monthes the number of eating disorders INCREASED 5 times what it had been before.

What Are Eating Disorders?

EATING disorders are:

• Anorexia Nervosa- the refusal to consume food and nutrients, or only in very insufficient quantities.


• Bullimia- the purging of food consumed to radically expel before nutrients and calories are utilized.


• 10,000,000 girls and women have some type of eating disorder in America.


• 1,000,000 boys and men have some type of eating disorder in America.


• 10%-25% will die from an eating disorder every year.