Can We Legislate Digital Image Manipulation?

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Presentation of the Issue

Photo manipulation has become very common now days, especially in magazines. “EVERYTHING is photoshopped. Every image you see on a magazine cover is not real” (F,Jim, 2010)

Where editors edit photos by enhancing certain aspects or erasing “flaws” in order to achieve what has always been sought by humans: “perfection”. Or in realistic words: to achieve the stereotypic image of beauty from society’s perspective.

In order to achieve this, a particular software is used in order to manipulate images.Photoshop is the most common photo manipulation software used. Where the software manipulates the pixels in the photo, where pixels can be changed in size, color and shape.

The stakeholders are the photo editors, the brand being sold or the magazine brand and the viewers. The editors and the brand are the ones to “blame” when the image is retouched to an unrealistic extreme. The viewers are bombarded with images which they cannot tell if are real or manipulated.

Negative impacts arise from this. The central one: body image issues, which can cause influence in: eating disorders and unacceptance of one’s appearance. As well age issues, obsession of having the young look.

Editors and brands lack of integrity, they edit their photographs to an extreme, producing unrealistic results. Viewers are sometimes unaware of this and some try to achieve this unrealistic look, by going through extreme measures like eating disorders.

As well the photos are deceiving to the public; they do not know the difference between what is real and what has been manipulated.

However positive impacts arise. The companies benefit from this, because the product is manipulated to make it look more appealing to the targeted au...

... middle of paper ...

...m/how-does_4569542_photoshop-work.html (31/3/2011)

Epstein, Jesse, P. 10/3/2010, “Sex Lies and Photoshop”

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/03/09/opinion/1194838469575/sex-lies-and-photoshop.html (31/2/2011)

BBC news, P. 30/5/2000, “Models Link to Teenage Anorexia”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/769290.stm (31/2/2011)

CelebrityFIX, P. 2009, “Kim Kardashian: Photoshop-free and proud of her cellulite”

http://celebrities.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=370222&showcomments=true (31/2/2011)

Gomez, Gina, P. 8/20/2009, “Filippa Hamilton And The Ralph Lauren Photo-Shop Controversy

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/filippa-hamilton-and-the-ralph-lauren-photo-shop-controversy_100257885.html#ixzz1I6izP5aG (31/2/2011)

Smith, Collins, P. 2009, “Photoshop Layers 101”

http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/layers/intro.htm (30/4/2011)

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