Arizona state lawmaker: Shouldn't advertisers have to put disclaimers on airbrushed photos or something?

It’s true: Adobe Photoshop is the best beauty product a gal can buy. No foundation, no concealer, no eye shadow, no mascara can make a face look as smooth and eyes look as smoldering as can Photoshop. It’s also a quick-fix fitness product. Didn’t have time to lose those five extra pounds before you posed in a swimsuit for a major magazine? Let Photoshop do the work of weight loss for you!

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So, sure, advertisers are going to apply Adobe with as heavy a hand as a 13-year-old applies lip gloss. So what? So it’s sending a wrong message to teenagers, that’s what. Or so says Katie Hobbs, a Democratic state representative in Arizona, who has introduced legislation to more stringently regulate advertisers on this score. Her bill would require advertisers who alter or enhance a photo to put a disclaimer on that ad.

Rep. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said she’s bringing attention to body image issues, especially with young girls, and that girls need to know that they don’t have to look perfect.

While she acknowledges the likelihood of the bill failing in a vote, Rep Hobbs said she’s satisfied with spotlighting the issue.

She told The Arizona Republic: ‘We just wanted to bring it to the table and start a discussion.

‘We need to bring attention to these body-image issues, especially with young girls.’

On this one, I’m with Andrea Tantaros, who today on Neil Cavuto’s Fox News show told substitute host Stuart Varney that she sees no need for additional regulation — but wouldn’t mind it if politicians had to offer disclaimers on their own promises. Why don’t they ever have to admit their “product” — a.k.a. more government involvement — won’t work the way they claim it will?

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Regarding girls’ body-image issues, I have the same response I have to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” program: I’m all for “spotlighting the issue,” as Katie Hobbs put it, but don’t support the government usurping the role of parents. It’s not for advertisers to offer a disclaimer; it’s for parents to raise their children with an understanding of what it means to be and look healthy. An easy way to ensure your kids aren’t troubled by the ways they don’t match the images they see on TV and in magazines: Monitor and limit their TV and magazine exposure. That might inspire them to “move” more anyway!

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David Strom 4:10 PM | November 12, 2024
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