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https://theconversation.com/this-image-has-been-digitally-altered-disclaimer-labels-are-meant-to-protect-viewers-body-image-but-do-they-work-172044>
"Around the world, the negative effect of looking at thin and unrealistic media
images on women’s own body image has become an increasing concern.
In July 2021, Norway joined the list of countries (Israel in 2012, France in
2017) that have legislated that when advertising images have been photoshopped
to improve a person’s shape or size (for example, making a model’s legs longer
and thinner), they must add a disclaimer label telling the viewer this. This
applies to advertising both in print and online in social media.
In Australia, this recommendation is part of a voluntary industry code of
conduct for the fashion, media and advertising industries.
The underlying logic is that adding a disclaimer label such as “this image has
been digitally altered” will alert the viewer the image of the model is not
realistic – therefore it is not portraying a “real” person in that sense. So if
women and girls no longer compare themselves with the near-perfect models in
magazines and on social media, their own body image will be preserved.
This seems like a sensible strategy, but does it work?
Unfortunately, the evidence is mounting that disclaimer labels simply do not
work. Many experiments show that women and girls experience the same drop in
their body image when they look at attractive media images with or without a
disclaimer label.
In short, disclaimer labels do nothing to protect women and girls from the
negative effects of idealised media exposure. This seems the case no matter
what the size or precise wording of the disclaimer label. Sometimes, far from
being helpful, disclaimer labels even make body dissatisfaction worse."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
