Running Head: PHOTO MANIPULATION

Photo Manipulation in Magazines

Nalleli Mata
University of Texas at El Paso

PHOTO MANIPULATION

Abstract
Photoshop or as people may know it Photo Manipulation is now part of a daily routine. People
may be looking at a simple picture on the Internet or a picture on a certain magazine and see that
some type of changes have been done. As the creators of Adobe Photoshop have given editors an
easier and faster way to change the way people view pictures this has created a positive and
negative affect in society. The purpose of this literature review is to show the birth of Photoshop
before the application was even created to what society is currently doing in order to have
regulation when it comes to manipulation in magazine ads. Photoshop in magazines does not
have many proof of causing health problems on girls; however, this does not stop people from
wanting to change this and have limitations. With the help of research and studies done for photo
manipulation this research is able to be expanded.

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Photo manipulation has been around for many years, but in recent years since Photoshop
was created, in depth conversations have been created to discuss its usage. With studies and
research being done to show how Photoshop has been causing some type of effect on girls,
controversial talk has been going around. Photoshop is a great application to create art and
graphics that can be appealing to the eye; however, magazines use it to show a different
perspective of women. Photoshop was created in 1988 and ever since magazine editors use it to
change the body shape, making models look thinner and they can also change their hair making
it thicker and longer. With this being said women or younger girls who see this type of false
advertisement feel affected by it. They start to believe that they too should look like that and
society has been seems to continue doing the same by saying that they should look a certain way.
Recent studies have been done in order to see if Photoshop in magazines cause some type of
health problem on girls. This has created controversies to see if magazines should stop using
Photoshop to alter picture or if they should have some type of limitation. With this being said it
is more than obvious that the discourse community affected by this is girls. Given the fact that
this topic has become a controversial issue, three questions have been created to analyze:
1. When did photo manipulation begin?
2. What is the current policy of Photoshop use in magazines?
3. What is the proposed policy for photo manipulation in magazines?
The purpose of this literature review analysis is to show facts that have been researched and
studied by professionals and experts on this study.
When Did Photo Manipulation Begin?
Photoshop or as people now call it, photo manipulation has been around since 1988, but
photo manipulation has been around for far longer than that. Proof of photo manipulation has
been found on old pictures that trace back to the 1840s right when the use of photography
started. However these cameras did not capture the color and this is where photo manipulation

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started. According to Fineman (2012), the lack of color on the pictures made photographers make
manual arrangement to the pictures. These arrangements included using watercolor, oil paint,
crayon to make the photos more attractive for the customers. Photographers would also take
pictures of different location and put them together to make a very unique picture that included
different locations making a completely new and better location. According to Fineman (2012)
photographers in the past wanted to make the pictures more true to life and photographers now
want to see the possibilities rather than the truth. Photoshop may not have existed in the past but
many photographers were still capable of manipulating every single picture with the use of
manual art. Later on photo manipulation included the use of printed pictures and combining them
to make group portrait. However as time passed and cameras and technology developed photo
manipulation changed. With Photoshop being releases in 1990 many photographers started using
it for different reasons such as fashion and advertisement changing peoples perspectives.
Digital cameras and applications such as Photoshop have changed the way we create, look at,
and think about photographs (Fineman, 2012). With the creation of Photoshop manual
manipulation changed to technological manipulation, making it easier and faster to do.
Body image has changed over the course of the years going from the skinny type to the
wavy type and back to the skinny type. All these expectation have been brought in by society and
even the media. Interest was accelerated through the 20th century with the enhancement of
photography, and with the advent of television, motion pictures, and more recently the internet
(Armitage, 2004). The media displays what they believe is the right body for any girl, making
every other female that does not look like them, want to look exactly like them. Body image has
gone from narrow waist in the 19th century to a more natural look. As time goes back to the
1920s slim and elegant bodies were the ideal body type. However moving on to the 1930s to
1950s women were being told to that hourglass bodies with big breast were the ideal body for

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any women. For instance, the desired image of a fuller bust gave way to breast augmentation
surgery (Armitage, 2004). Women were being told that big breast was the way they were
supposed to be and this made women flat chested get plastic surgeries to accomplish this. In the
1960s and 1970s once again the body image changed. Women were no longer being told to have
hourglass bodies, instead they were told to have nice thighs and bottoms. According to Armitage
(2004) during this period of time women were worried about cellulites and this is where cellulite
fighting creams were getting developed. Ever since the 1970s the ideal body image has been the
same, and that is the athletic one. With this change women now wanted to join sports and stay fit

Comfortable

24%; 24% 24%

Somewhat Comfortable

52%
Not Comfortable

in, and have what everyone thinks is the right body type.
In a recent survey done with a sample of 25 girls of different shapes and sizes, girls were
asked how comfortable they were with their bodies. The survey shows that 52% of the girls
surveyed were somewhat comfortable with their bodies. 24 percent of the girls answered that
they did feel comfortable with their bodies the same percentage of girls answered that they did
not feel comfortable at all (Photo manipulation and self-esteem, 2015). This survey shows that
the most girls do not have that much of a problem when it comes to having the ideal body image

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that everyone says they should have. Even if girls are bombarded with fake picture some of them
actually feel comfortable with their bodies; however, there are some girls that still need help with
their self-esteem.
What is the current policy of Photoshop use in magazines?
With Photoshop being a very well-known application, magazines have been able
Figure 1: How comfortable are you with
your body?

to change the way models look on the ads and covers.

However, magazine editors are no longer doing simple changes, they are going to the extremes in
order to make the models look skinnier. Photo manipulation had no boundaries, editors were able
to do as they pleased and models were aware of what was going to be done to their pictures.
According to an article on The Art Institutes Online (n.d) models sign contracts that give editors
the right to manipulate their pictures as needed. However, this was not the same for celebrities,
they were able to decide whether or not they wanted the editors to manipulate their pictures.
People started to notice that this type of false advertisement was not good for young girls,
making people want to change the way these magazines portrait their models. Magazines are
making girls want to become just what they are seeing. The use of Photoshop or photo
manipulation in magazines have been discussed within the beauty industry. Wilson (2009)
mentions that Phil Poynter says that the big discussion in the fashion business has always been
about should we retouch girls, should we create a portrait of a girl that is not achievable by a real
girl. Women can try and do anything to change the way they look; however, things do not
always come out the same and girls can go from having one simple imperfection to something
extreme. This made people want to change what they see everywhere they go or look.
As time passed more and more people have been putting magazines under pressure in
order to get them to show pictures without any type of alteration. Magazines like Seventeen
Magazine are now showing real pictures of girls. This would have never happened if it wasnt for

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Julia Bluhm. According to Magee (2012) in April 2012, Julia was distressed about her friends
complaining that they were fat when in reality they were not. Bluhm began a petition to have
Seventeen Magazine print real photographs each month. This petition gained 80,000 signatures
and later on Seventeen Magazine made a Body Peace Treaty. Megee (2012) says that,
Inspired by this success, two teens from New York City have begun a similar petition targeted
at Teen Vogue. This shows that it only takes one person to make a big change and that is exactly
what Julia Bluhm did. Photo manipulation has become a big part of advertisement around the
world and different parts of the world are deciding to give it a stop. These places include France,
Britain, Israel, and Australia. In France, Australia and in Israel magazines are required to add a
disclaimer that photo alternation had been added to the photos. With this type of information
women will be more aware of what or what not to believe from magazines. Britain did
something different, they went ahead and banned photo alterations that had to do with children;
however, they still added the disclaimer on adult magazines. The United States is taking a while
to take action in this topic. Megee (2012) says that, Downs argues that it would be very
challenging to pass such a law in the U.S. Congress, given its contradictory nature with
American cultural support for free speech in cases in which the harm is not direct or clear.
While in other countries laws have been passed without much problem in the United States many
factors come into place. These include the first amendment which protects American rights. In
this case how are changes supposed to happen when photo manipulation is a way of speech or in
this case a way of freedom? However, in March 27, 2014, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen introduced a bill
that will help regulate the use of photo manipulation in magazines.
What is the Proposed Policy for Photo Manipulation in Magazines?
As countries such as Israel change their laws on how to use Photoshop on their
magazines others countries like the United States have come to think that they too should make a

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change. Minsberg (2012) mentions that Israel passed a legislation to ban underweight models
and to regulate the use of Photoshop. Models on magazines have to have the right Body Mass
Index in order to keep their job. With Israel standing up for womens health other countries are
starting to really look into womens behavior due to Photoshop. The United States may not
mention the average number of girls that suffer from anorexia but Israel gives a good amount of
how many cases of anorexia occur in their country. Minsberg (2012) says that, In Israel, there
are 1,500 new cases of eating disorders every year, and 10 percent of teenagers suffer from
eating disorders. As magazines show that the ideal women should be thin, women take it into a
different perspective thinking that thin should be up to the point where their bones are noticeable.
With the models looking perfect and flawless women believe that the only way to achieve this
is by cutting their calorie intake, eating less and less every day and once they achieve that body
they continue to do the same. The truth is that they do not look like models and now they suffer
from something far worse than imperfection, they now suffer from anorexia or bulimia. Israel
gained much attention for passing this law and as Minsberg (2012) says that, I'm sure we'll
change the attitude all over the world, that this is a disease and people are dying from anorexia
and people need to keep this in mind and in public view." It only takes one person to take a
stand for what they believe in order to get others to follow their step and make a change.

It is not always easy to try and make a change, there are thing that should be done before.
With the United States having the bill of rights protecting the rights of many people and
corporations passing a law to stop having photo manipulation is hard. Many people believe that
Photoshop is art and a form of expression and the first amendment protects the expression.
Minsberg (2012) mentions that Daniel Le Grange a professor of psychiatry at the University of
Chicago says that Israel legislation could have a huge impact, it also mentions that David
Herzog, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School says that the more attention this

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topic gets the better the chances of making a change. Even if there are many borders that people
will have to overcome in order to also have a law in the United States it is not always impossible.
To demonstrate that there could be such change Ms. Ros-Lehtinen introduced a bill may change
photo manipulation in the future and according to Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (2014) the bill was
introduced on March 27, 2014 to the House of Representatives. This Act will be named Truth in
Advertising Act of 2014. The bill mentions how there has been proof of mental, physical and
emotional health issues related to photo manipulation. The bill mentions recommendations for
an appropriate, risk-based regulatory framework with respect to such use (Rep. Ros-Lehtinen,
2014). The government will try to satisfy the editors and the people that look at these ads by
making arrangements to avoid having women with health issues. Just like Israel made a change
so can the United States with the new bill that Congress is trying to pass one day women wont
have to suffer from low self-esteem that these magazines create.
Question 2

Yes

No

Sometimes/Maybe

Question 1

10 12 14 16

In a recent survey of 25 girls, they were

asked if the altered pictures of the models makes them want to be just like them. The results
found on the survey say that 12 out of 25 girls do want to be like them. Results like this show
that girls can go to the extremes and do whatever is possible in order to accomplish this goal. It
was surprising to see that 3 out of 25 do not want to look like the models and 10 out of 25 girls
answered that they sometimes wish they look like the models. During the same survey girls were
also asked if they believe Photoshop in magazines should be banned. No girls answered that it

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10

should be banned and 15 out of 25 answered that it should and behind that 10 out of 25 girls
answered that it should maybe be banned (Photo manipulation and self-esteem, 2015). Photoshop
in magazines has become a discussed topic around the world; however, debate is still going if it
should be banned indeed or if magazines should still be able to continue using it but with certain
regulation.
Photoshop in magazines is now a new way of photo manipulation and with its use, many
changes are able to be done too many different thing such as pictures. Many of the policies and
regulations are still being created due to the fact that years prior, magazine ads were not
affecting human health. As years pass
Figure 2: Has Photoshop in magazines made you want
to be just like the models?

researchers have noticed that girls health has

Should Photoshop in magazines be banned?

declined and that photo manipulation may be the

answer. However, this is not enough to get a policy to be passed. More research and studies need
to be conducted in order to identify the truth behind the effect of photo manipulation in
magazines.

References
Armitage, K. B., Loue, S., Sajatovic, M. (2004). Encyclopedia of womens health. Retrieved
from https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0306480735
Fineman, M. (2012). Faking it: manipulated photography before Photoshop. Retrieved from
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1588394735
Magee, H. (August 2012). The ethics of digital photo manipulation: alterations in pursuit of
Beauty. International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. Retrieved from
http://www. brandeis.edu/ethics/ethicalinquiry/2012/August.html

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11

Minsberg, T. (May 9, 2012). What the U.S. Can and Cant Learn From Israels Ban on Ultra
Thin Models. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/international/
archive/2012/05/ what-the-us-can-and-cant-learn-from-israels-ban-on-ultra-thinmodels/256891/
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, I. (March 27, 2014). H.R 4341- Truth in Advertising Act of 2014. 113
Congress. Retrieved from https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/hr4341/BILLS113hr4341ih.pdf
The Art Institutes. (n.d) Picture Imperfect Digital Image Manipulation Ethics. Retrieved from
http://new.artinstitutes.edu/Blog/picture-imperfect-digital-image-manipulation-ethics
Wilson, E. (May 27, 2009). Smile and say no Photoshop. The New York Times. Retrieved
from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/fashion/28RETOUCH.html?pagewanted=
all&_r=1&#