Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

Use Photoshop: go to jail. The FTC already has many censorship and regulatory rules in place. For example, it is forbidden to use food photography (such as McDonalds hamburgers) which uses ingredients greater or different than that in the actual product. Anyhow, See below:


NEW BILL CALLS ON FTC TO TAKE ACTION ON PHOTOSHOPPED IMAGES

A coalition of advocates is urging Congress to require the FTC look into ways to reduce the use of images in advertising that have been altered by Photoshop.
The group, concerned about the effect of unrealistic body images on teens and children, is supporting a bill introduced March 27 by a Florida Congresswoman that would require the agency report on the use of altered images in advertisements and work with health and business experts and consumer advocates to devise new strategies to reduce their use.

“Our young people should be taught to lead healthy lifestyles, not to conform to advertiser’s fake idea of beauty,’’ said Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Florida Republican who introduced the bill.

The bill, called the Truth in Advertising Act, is supported by the American Medical Association (AMA), as well as a variety of women’s groups and advocates for the prevention of eating disorders.

The AMA adopted a policy in 2011 encouraging advertising associations to help develop guidelines that would discourage the use of such images, especially in teen-oriented publications. The AMA said:

A large body of literature links exposure to media-propagated images of unrealistic body images to eating disorders and other child and adolescent health problems.
Seth Matlins, a Los Angeles-based marketer who has worked in Hollywood most of his career, said the FTC has to take action to protect young consumers.

“Do I think the FTC has been doing enough? If we thought that we wouldn’t be doing this,’’ said Matlins. “It’s time the FTC stepped in.”

Matlins said the bill seeks to get at images that materially change an individual’s true shape, color, proportion or size, and is not after banning all Photoshopping. Matlins, who is a father of a young daughter and son and has been working on this legislation for three years, said the idea for the bill came after the U.K. banned two airbrushed L’Oreal magazine ads, one of Julia Roberts and one of Christy Turlington for being misleading. In 2012 the U.K.’s advertising regulatory body also banned a L’Oreal ad featuring Rachel Weisz.

“We don’t just buy products, we buy better versions of ourselves. But when our better selves doesn’t exist in nature…we are being sold a false bill of goods as empty as a bounced check,’’ said Matlins.“It’s time for the rules to change.”

Elizabeth Lordan, a spokeswoman for the FTC, said the agency has no comment or position on the bill. She said the agency doesn’t have a specific position on Photoshop, only that “our position on advertising is that it must be truthful, not deceptive or unfair, and evidence-based.”

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

What if you photoshopped someone to look worse than they actually do in reality. Would that still be a problem?
Actually, it takes a lot of nerve by members of congress to even present this bill considering most of them are photoshopped in their own publications..

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

During the primary campaign when 'bama ran against Hillary, the media chose ugly photos of Hillary and chose photos of 'bama that made him look Presidential. But I guess there's nothing anyone can do about media bias.

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

I'm not saying I'm in total agreement with the bill under discussion but to say there's no merit to it or it unjustified in it's goal is incorrect too. I'm not sure what the answer is but I believe that the misleading advertising it addresses needs addressed. If these advertising moguls won't police themselves then I suppose congress will be forced to take action.

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

Pepper's post is thoughtful. One issue is that when one advertiser "cheats" everyone else has to, just to keep up. One of the things that occurred to me is that there is advertising fraud, when, for example, a cosmetic company publishes a heavily-retouched face and implies that it is due to their warpaint or skin care products. And such photos are, as we all know, heavily retouched.

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

The same can be said of weight loss companies. The gal who pimps for one of them infers that the program is responsible for the weight she's lost then she's on a talk show talking about how much she owes her personal trainer. I'm most grateful for my DVR I record everything and rarely see a commercial for anything.

DJ Mills Loc: Idaho

I think some of these rules already apply. For example, if you are selling cold cereal you have to show the real cereal, but can use Elmer's Glue instead of milk because it is more photogenic. If you are selling milk, you have to show real milk, but can doctor up whatever food you are showing it with. (Or at least that's what a professor told us in school.)

LaurenT Loc: Northern California

Just recently, at the Golden Globes, a commercial for L'Oreal, featuring a "never aging" Diane Keeton was, unfortunately placed, just after an "un touched" Diane Keeton presented an award. All kinds of flack for L'Oreal for their altering commercial.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2538813/LOreal-accused-heavily-Photoshopping-Diane-Keaton-ad-aired-IMMEDIATELY-retouched-Golden-Globes-speech.html

DJ Mills Loc: Idaho

That's funny.

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

Closer to home, pictures of Oprah Winfrey are extensively retouched. Her skin is drastically lightened, drastically smoothed, and various tricks are used to make her look less enormously fat. As to the skin lightening, she could well be accused of being ashamed of being black.

Just after O.J. Simpson got arrested for his double knife killing, Time Magazine ran a portrait. They got caught extensively darkening his skin, to, as Time admitted, "Make him look darker and scarier."

So all this has been going on quite a while, not just in advertising but in "editorial" photography.

LaurenT Loc: Northern California

For months I have been noticing Oprah's cover photos on her "O" magazine. They can miraculously shave 40 lbs off of her in every shot. :?

SpeedyWilson Loc: Upstate South Carolina

While they are at it, maybe they can crackdown on unrealistic automobile advertisements. It's common to see cars doing all kinds of unusual stunts, like jumping onto trains, climbing stairs, and many other impossible shenanigans.

Here are some examples:
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/car-commercials-annoy-me-508987556

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

Those car commercials are funny. You see SUVs climbing mountains, going through streams, climbing snow covered back roads and then you drive down the interstate in the winter and all kinds are stuck in the medium.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

Runaway busybodyism. They all need to go after a severe beating about the head, the place where the least damage could be inflicted on their bodies since there is little of value in that vicinity. I wish the crap they do would come alive and give them all a big lifelong continuous Frenchy..

SpeedyWilson Loc: Upstate South Carolina

Before politicians try to control advertising art, they should control their own lying to American citizens. Their lies are more harmful to our everyday lives than any doctored photos in advertisements.