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Airbrushed ads damaging a generation of young women, say experts
By: Alison Field
Last updated: Tuesday, 10 November 2009
A Sussex psychologist is the lead author of a report sent to UK advertising authorities condemning the use of ultra-thin, digitally altered women in adverts.
Dr Helga Dittmar collaborated with experts in the field of body image to produce the paper, which details scientific evidence on how the use of airbrushing to promote body perfect ideals in advertising is causing a host of problems in young women. These include eating disorders, depression, extreme exercising and encouraging cosmetic surgery.
The report, signed by 44 leading academics, doctors and clinical psychologists from the UK, USA, Australia, Brazil, Spain and Ireland, was submitted to the Committee for Advertising Practice on 9 November as part of a campaign co-ordinated by the Liberal Democrat party, headed by Jo Swinson MP.
Helga says: "It is clear that most fashion advertising uses airbrushing technology, capable of changing all aspects of appearance and body shape - for example, different size eyes, thinner legs, slimmer waists and enlarged breasts.
"More than 100 scientific studies show that exposure to unrealistic body perfect ideals like this in the media leads to body dissatisfaction, negative thoughts and feeling about the body, for the great majority of girls and women."
She says the evidence suggests that adolescents are more vulnerable than adults and that young children also show negative effects on body image. "We want to make sure that girls are educated about the unrealistic media ideals as part of the school curriculum and be sure that policy changes are used to curb the use of artificial and unhealthy body perfect ideals in the media, particularly in under 16s."
Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson said: "This paper spells out the real damage irresponsible airbrushing is doing to young women's physical and mental health.
"The Advertising Standards Agency received five complaints about airbrushed images last year. This year thanks to our campaign it has had almost 1,000. It now has all the scientific evidence it needs to act."