Photoshop Bill Advocates Post Petition

More than 30,000 consumers have signed a petition supporting legislation that would require the FTC to review the use of altered images of the human body in advertisements.

The Change.org petition centers on the issue of the use of Photoshop to alter images of the human body in significant ways. A coalition of eating disorder groups and child advocates say these images create false and unrealistic expectations of what humans should look like. The bill would require the FTC to work with health and business experts and consumer advocates to devise new strategies to reduce their use.

“These ads are weapons of mass perfection and their casualties are stark,’’ says the petition posted by Seth Matlins, a Los Angeles-based marketer who is lobbying on behalf to the Truth in Advertising Act. “…In fact, the three most common mental health issues amongst girls—eating disorders, depression, and low self-esteem—can be linked to the images they see of themselves in the media.”

Read more here about the Truth in Advertising Act.

This story was updated on 4/20/2014 and 6/13/2014.