In the magazine industry, Photoshopping has become rampant. Images are never what they seem; women who seem too beautiful or too thin to be real probably aren’t. Because teens and children may not be able to understand the extent to which pictures have been altered, they may expect that they should be able to pull off a similar look as they grow older.
An article on ABCNews.com discusses the American Medical Association’s recommendation that Photoshopping be limited in magazines. The AMA says that the magazine industry should develop a working relationship with eating disorder experts to determine what limits might be helpful in establishing a healthy set of guidelines for magazine images and their alterations.
The announcement follows multiple scientific studies that show a significant association between eating disorders and the impact that altered magazine images have on adolescent girls. The girls see the images, and believe that they might expect to resemble the models or celebrities. The AMA says that Photoshopping constitutes a significant health risk, contributing to the development of eating disorders in young girls.
While the AMA understands that change may not be immediate or complete, the doctors hope that in at least the teen magazine industry, there might be changes made to limit the amount of alteration allowed on images.
