Photo: Courtesy of Aerie.Whether it's giving a model E.T.-like arms, unnecessarily hollowing out Beyoncé's thighs, or smoothing Lorde's so-called flaws, Photoshop is often used in ways that not only distort its subjects, but also heightens the contrast between our "ideal" bodies and our actual ones. Which is why companies like Aerie have taken a stand against digitally altering the models in their ads — an especially significant choice, since Aerie markets primarily to young women. Now, a group of lawmakers in Florida and California have taken up the fight by proposing a bill that would reduce the use of Photoshop in advertising images, the logic being that they're both misleading and damaging to our self-image — especially for younger viewers.
"Just as with cigarette ads in the past, fashion ads portray a twisted, ideal image for young women,” representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lois Capps stated. “And, they’re vulnerable. As sales go up, body image and confidence drops.” Click over to The Huffington Post to read exactly how their bill would affect the images we see every day — and let us know how you'd feel about limiting the use of digital-editing software. Anything that prevents distorted body images and another thigh-gap-gate couldn't hurt. (The Huffington Post)