Educate Women on Becoming Critical of Media's Messages
Instead of attempting to ban the use of Photoshop and trying to make companies use real women instead of thin models in advertisements, some people support the idea that young girls and women should learn to become critical of the media and the messages that are presented. Many people believe that trying to change the fashion industry is hopeless because the use of Photoshop and thin models are so prominent in society. In an article from Fashionista, a fashion news site, an anonymous retoucher states that "100 percent of what's in fashion magazines is retouched" and that "there's just no way an image would be released without any retouching at all." Since thin models and alterations to images through the use of programs such as Photoshop are almost always used in advertisements, many believe that trying to change advertising and the fashion industry is not realistic.
According to the New York Times, the average American is exposed to about 5,000 ads per day, so if audiences can analyze the message in an advertisement and recognize that what is presented is not realistic, they won’t compare themselves to things that are not possible, and therefore, they will have a better body image. In order to make women and girls more aware and critical of the messages they are consuming through the media, some believe that more media literacy programs need to be created. Media literacy programs “promote an understanding of the effect media has on individual consumers and society at large,” and they “aim to reveal the ideologies and messages embedded in the media images that we encounter on a daily basis.” Girls, Inc., a national organization that created a media literacy program, aims their teachings at not only teenagers but also young girls because they believe that young girls should learn about the impact of the media before they start to internalize the media's messages. The literacy programs will help girls see beyond the surface of advertisements so they can bring together their own bodies with the “perfection” that is depicted in the media. If people can recognize the images that are Photoshopped and ignore those images, as well as be critical of the messages that are presented, they will no longer be comparing themselves to an “ideal” that doesn’t exist, which will result in a better body image.
According to the New York Times, the average American is exposed to about 5,000 ads per day, so if audiences can analyze the message in an advertisement and recognize that what is presented is not realistic, they won’t compare themselves to things that are not possible, and therefore, they will have a better body image. In order to make women and girls more aware and critical of the messages they are consuming through the media, some believe that more media literacy programs need to be created. Media literacy programs “promote an understanding of the effect media has on individual consumers and society at large,” and they “aim to reveal the ideologies and messages embedded in the media images that we encounter on a daily basis.” Girls, Inc., a national organization that created a media literacy program, aims their teachings at not only teenagers but also young girls because they believe that young girls should learn about the impact of the media before they start to internalize the media's messages. The literacy programs will help girls see beyond the surface of advertisements so they can bring together their own bodies with the “perfection” that is depicted in the media. If people can recognize the images that are Photoshopped and ignore those images, as well as be critical of the messages that are presented, they will no longer be comparing themselves to an “ideal” that doesn’t exist, which will result in a better body image.