Photoshop Health Warning Proposed for Retouched Photos

Sacrebleu! French politicians are campaigning for a new law that will result in government health warnings on pictures that have been enhanced by photoshop:

Campaigning MP Valerie Boyer, of President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, said the wording should read:"Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person's physical appearance".
Mrs Boyer, who has also written a government report on anorexia and obesity, added: "We want to combat the stereotypical image that all women are young and slim.
"These photos can lead people to believe in a reality that does not actually exist, and have a detrimental effect on adolescents. "Many young people, particularly girls, do not know the difference between the virtual and reality, and can develop complexes from a very young age.
"In some cases this leads to anorexia or bulimia and very serious health problems.
"It's not just a question of public health, but also a way of protecting the consumer."

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- Thanks Tiffany!

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There's a huge difference between photographing a real person wearing makeup, and in lighting that shows them in a flattering manner, and flat-out carving up their body into something completely biologically impossible. Lest you think I exaggerate, take a look at Photoshopdisasters.com and you will see examples drawn from all over. High fashion catalogs, to ads for household products. Some of the end results are less anatomically correct than barbie dolls, and that's saying something.

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The fact is that photoshoped pics of models do create unrealistic (and in some case physically unachievable) body images and therefore agree with stating it as such.

With that said, any official statement coming out of France should be labeled, "May appear somewhat douchey to other cultures."

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What about make-up and lightning techniques? Photoshop is nothing more than an extension of these old gimmicks. Is this issue really important or are the law makers going astray from the real problems?