MEP Calls For Airbrushed Pictures To Be Labelled

Labour MEP Nessa Childers has today launched calls for mandatory labelling of airbrushed photographs in magazines aimed at young people.

Ms Childer's campaign follows the recent publication of a major report into the practice of 'touching up' pictures of models, often making them appear unnaturally thin and flawless in appearance.

"The report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK, from where many magazines on Irish shelves originate, makes it crystal clear that airbrushing plays a harmful role when it comes to negative body image and eating disorders," Ms Childers said.

She added: "Airbrushing has a really damaging impact on people's self-esteem and that's why I am now calling for the European Commission to investigate the issue and consider introducing a mandatory warning label system.

"As a former mental health professional myself, I worked with many young Irish women who suffered from eating disorders and from depression due to lack of self-esteem and having poor self-image. Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses. Any quick look at the publications on the shelves of our local newsagents shows that this has really gone too far. Virtually no photograph in any glossy magazine one cares to mention hasn't been given the airbrush treatment."

Mrs Childers added that research revealed that over 70% of Irish teenagers feel negatively affected by media portrayal of body weight and shape. In a 2007 Kidscreen study of children across 13 countries, Irish teenagers ranked second last in terms of self-perception, "this must be a worrying to all Irish parents," Ms Childers said.

"I have raised this issue with the European Commission and I am demanding that they investigate this matter not only from a health perspective but also as on the possible grounds of false advertising. I want proposals to mandate magazines and other publications to print a warning on digitally enhanced photographs. We may not be able to stop the practice outright but a warning label must be the first step forward."

After a meeting with Ms Childers on the issue, Chairman of the Consumers' Association of Ireland James Doorley said they would support measures such as a warning label to alert consumers that the lifestyle and fashion images are unrealistic and doctored.

"We also believe that organisations such as Magazines Ireland and the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland should step up to the plate and ensure that all visual material used in articles and advertising are honest and truthful and is included with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society, in particular material aimed at children and young people," he said.

"We would welcome EU intervention in this area also given that many of the magazines and material aimed at young people comes from outside Ireland."

(DW/GK)