Girl Guides call for labels on airbrushed pics
Wednesday 04 August 2010
When you think of Girl Guides, you might conjure up images of campfires, cake baking and helping old ladies cross the road in return for a badge
But the sisterly gals are well and truly twenty-first century in their attitudes– using their combined sash-sporting force to try and curb a rise in eating disorders among young girls.
The Guides are calling for warning symbols to be clearly displayed on airbrushed pictures of models and actresses to stop fellow youngsters idolizing false and unattainable images.
The enterprising young ladies are due to set up an online petition on the Girlguiding UK website demanding the labels, so that consumers can recognize which images are natural, and which have been altered.
Over 20,000 young women are expected to pledge their support and sign up.
The petition will be up on the site for three months before being sent off to Prime Minister David Cameron.
Liz Burnley, of Girlguiding UK, said: "We know how profoundly they feel the pressure to conform to a particular body image and how badly they can be affected by these unobtainable ideals.
"We are proud to support the calls of our members who believe that it is time that the Prime Minister addressed their concerns and acted in the interests of girls and young women across the country."
A few days ago, Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone announced she would be making moves to pressurize the media to stop airbrushing, but insisted that a ban wouldn’t be a good idea.
The Guides’ campaign came about as a result of research which showed that girls as young as ten are worried about their weight.
Equally shockingly, the research also showed that half of teenagers would consider cosmetic surgery.
Another study shows that the increasing pressure on young girls to grow up too quickly leads to self-harming, panic attacks and mental health problems.
Singer Javine has also backed the Guides’ campaign, saying: "Girls need to learn to be confident with their bodies. They need to cherish themselves from their heads to their tip toes, embracing both their beauty and their flaws.
"Growing up is hard, and girls can often become influenced by unrealistic pictures which depict how women should look, not how they do.”
By Emily Gosling
Will you be backing the Guides’ efforts?
Posted by TruthTeller2010
RE: Girl Guides call for labels on airbrushed pics
i think this is a good idea, good for them. I remember being in the guides but we didnt discuss things like this!!
Posted 04/08/2010 13:07:54
Posted by sugar sweet
RE: Girl Guides call for labels on airbrushed pics
i support it too, its not just bad for people's body image and confidence but its false advertising! like mascara adverts where the ppl are quite clearly wearing false eye lashes!! i think that the problem is never going to be solved by saying that the person has been airbrushed we know already and young impressonable girls are still going to want to live up to these perfect images whether it says it on the bottom in tiny writing or not! also i think its naive to say ban airbrushing completely, i think we would all be shocked and put off if a model trying to promote something had spotty skin, roots and cellulite or whatever and dont say you wouldnt!
Posted 04/08/2010 14:53:49
Posted by TruthTeller2010
RE: Girl Guides call for labels on airbrushed pics
I guess at least if young girls, or even women such as myself! look at images and aspire to be like that or look like that, a note at the bottom of the page will remind them thats its not actually real, and therefore, an unrealistic aspiration.
also......it might remind men that women dont actually look like that....and they have to accept that we get spots, cellulite and body hair !! I always find that those bitchy pages in certain magazines pointing out celebs spots and coldsores actually makes me feel better abut myself....
Posted 05/08/2010 11:37:51
Posted by SummerInFrance
RE: Girl Guides call for labels on airbrushed pics
This is a brilliant idea! Who should tell us what 'beauty' is anyway? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if you want to be attractive for men, then you should find someone who you actually love and if they love you, then they wont care what you look like. And young children will fall for this crap- girls have to have big boobs, perfect skin, nice legs, no body hair and look all-out-perfect, and boys can look whatever and have to get three girls at one time or whatever. I hope that this gets carried out.
Posted 08/10/2012 20:57:14