British lawmakers want to warn against retouched body and face photos

Michelle Roberts – BBC

Published on 08/04/2022 08:15

(Credit: BBC)

According to a proposal by British lawmakers from the House of Commons Health and Welfare Committee, photographs of models in advertisements that have been digitally altered must come with a notice that the image has been altered.

The MPs also want the government to quickly approve a proposal for stricter restrictions on the promotion of aesthetic procedures such as facial fillers. In addition, those who decide to undergo an aesthetic procedure must wait a 48-hour interval to reflect on the intervention and have their physical and mental health history analyzed by experts.

“We’ve heard about some painful experiences – an assembly-line approach, with no-questions-asked procedures,” said former health minister Jeremy Hunt, who chairs the panel.

Charlie King was known for participating in a group trial in England reality showHe said an assessment of his well-being was not made during a nose job.

Kim Booker, an influencer who, like Charlie, has body dysmorphic disorder — the exhaustion of searching for alleged flaws in appearance that, to others, may be invisible — told lawmakers she was addicted to image-altering apps.

“I ended up using these filters all the time,” Booker said. “When the video switched to my normal face, I was a little shocked.”

“I hated what I saw because you get used to the filtered version of yourself.”

Growing up in the 1990s, Kim says she was bombarded with images of “Disney princesses” as references to what a woman should look like.

“I felt I had to match the role model with big eyes, a small nose, loose hair and a small waist,” she said. “It grew with me through my teenage years, into adulthood.”

Unreal images

The Parliamentary Commission wants advertisers to present a range of aesthetics and body types, as filtered and unrealistic images are posted by influencers.

“We believe the government should introduce legislation to ensure commercial images are labeled with certain indications if any part is digitally altered, including body proportions and skin tone,” the report said. While facial fillers are only available with a prescription and have minimum training standards for practitioners who use them, Anti-Doping UK estimates more than a million users – mostly men looking to build muscle.

According to Professor James McVey, who contributed to the report, one of the main problems with anabolic steroids is that long-term users “do not return to normal testosterone production”. disease and brain changes,” McVeigh explains. “There may come a time when these people choose to stop using anabolic steroids, but they’re going to face strong side effects.”

Vamps guitarist James Britton-McVay, who had surgery to remove natural breast tissue from his chest, told the commission: “Social media pushed me further down that rabbit hole.” , eating disorders have increased in recent years, and that’s why. The government should carry out annual checks on the weight and well-being of all children and young people. The document calls for further action to combat childhood obesity, such as restricting joint shopping advertising of foods and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar. . A UK Government spokesperson said: “We will introduce a national licensing scheme to prevent exploitation, improve safety and ensure individuals make informed and safe choices about non-surgical aesthetic procedures”.

– This text was originally published https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-62402042

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