A Call for the Call-Out: Why Influencers Should Disclose Edited Bodies
Written by Emily Hricak
November 11, 2023
Photograph: Michelle Rohn/NBC News
France recently implemented a policy to require that social media influencers divulge when their image has been photoshopped. It's time for the US to learn from this and question the ethical implications of such apps.
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The use of editing apps is common in the digital age. Software that was previously used to correct red-eyes or reduce unnecessary flash exposure is now being used to blatantly change the way people, mostly young women, look. When influencers fail to disclose significant digital alterations on their feeds, they contribute to promoting an unrealistic beauty standard. Requiring influencers in the US to indicate when they have altered their photos would be a crucial step toward promoting healthier self-perception and cultivating a more authentic digital community.
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The evolving capabilities of technology are undoubtedly exciting and largely beneficial. New technologies have advanced the capabilities of medicine, engineering, and countless other professions. Though it is a relatively new career, it would be remiss not to mention how social media influencers have capitalized off of new technology.
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The rise of influencers has revolutionized the way the general public perceives beauty. Advertisements, billboards, and magazines have historically airbrushed their models to appear smoother, slimmer, and sexier than ever. At the time, there was always an obvious separation between the models and the public. Today, this division is gone.
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Social media influencers are becoming the new supermodels in the way that we look up to them and idolize their beauty. Their toned bodies and perfect skin are admirable at first, but the constant exposure to such unattainable beauty on our smartphones begins to chip away at our egos. Users forget to remember that what they are seeing may be fake.
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In an overly saturated media landscape, influencers are using any and all tools at their disposal to make themselves stand out from the crowd. On platforms like Instagram that promote visual appeal, the most obvious way to stand out is based on visual aesthetics and attractiveness. Though Facetune was likely created with the best intentions, its widespread use is blurring the line between reality and illusion to a dangerous degree.
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These apps perpetuate an unattainable ideal of perfection, leading to body image issues, especially among young women. Young women are some of the most impressionable users online today, and they look up to influencers as a source of inspiration. “To influence” is quite literally in the title of their job, so influencers must honor and tread carefully with the impressions they are capable of making. Influencers bear a significant responsibility to be open about any digital alterations they make in order to be the best role model, or “influence,” to their followers.
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The issue is not the existence of apps like Facetune. Everyone has the right to alter images of themselves as they see fit. If shrinking your waistline or whitening your teeth makes you feel more confident, go for it. However, withholding that information and tricking your followers into thinking that is your authentic self is unethical.
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Critics may argue that requiring influencers to disclose everything they do to their photos is too intrusive. The world of digital creation is undoubtedly exciting and individuals certainly have the right to curate their online personas as they see fit. From this perspective, influencers are like artists and can craft their personal brand to their liking. Requiring influencers to disclose each step of their coveted creative process could, in this lens, be seen as a breach of freedom.
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Despite this counterargument, the case for online transparency is the most compelling. When followers have the utmost information about a post they are seeing, they can decide how they will ingest it. Will they still aspire to achieve this level of perfection? Or will they see it as fake and unattainable, brush it off, and move on? Regardless of how they interpret the photoshopped posts, followers have the freedom to come to their own conclusions. Without explicit disclosure about what they are seeing, followers are being deceived and robbed of this freedom.
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The call for influencers to reveal when they have photoshopped their bodies is not merely a demand for transparency: it is a plea for a cultural shift. If we embrace vulnerability, imperfection, and the beauty inherent in authenticity, influencers have the power to transform the digital landscape into a space that uplifts, inspires, and celebrates the rich diversity of humanity.
I completely agree with this. As someone who posts on social media with a platform, it is really easy how people can think that it is all natural when most of my photos are heavily edited. I think it is really difficult for people, especially young girls to realize that social media is mainly curated to be perfect, when it reality, no one really looks like that. People need to realize how to segregate that from just having a social media presence to use that presence for good.
The new law in France was really interesting to read about. I think it brings up an important discussion about the balance of artistic freedom and ethicality in social media. I feel like topics like these are far less discussed in North America. I’m curious as to how the implementation of a similar law in America would affect the national beauty standards. It’s a bit scary to think about how blurred the lines between reality and the digital world have become due to social media.
I love the nowadays we're sort of straying from the edited/facetune-esque era of social media and entering a new era of posting our moments. It seems like we're entering the past in a way when people would just post photos of their coffee. I think the photo dump (although classically misused) is a perfect example of how casual social media could be and how normalized this casual nature should be. I'm so excited to see the new social media trends–and I agree with the premise that edited photos should have a mark that shows that they are edited. I think this would definitely help people with their mental health.
This is a really interesting article about a very powerful topic. I remember many of my classmates growing up struggled with eating disorders, and it seemed like celebrities positing edited photos of themselves contributed to this by creating unrealistic standards. By having to disclose the edited nature of phtos, young people will feel less pressure to look like what they see on social media.
It is so great to see how the lede for this piece developed into its final form! From the get-go, this topic was incredibly eye-catching and relevant, and I enjoyed reading your thoughts on social media's impact on beauty standards. I appreciate that your approach to this conversation focuses more on transparency, rather than outright banning these apps. I agree that the main issue with things like Facetune and filters is that people try to market the edit photos as their authentic selves. There is nothing wrong with feeling more confident through these apps, but contributing to the unrealistic standards it creates is dangerous.