A Nottinghamshire MP is calling on national organisations to help maintain more realistic representations of body image in advertising and on social media. MP for Ashfield and Eastwood, Lee Anderson is supporting The Body Image Pledge, which asks brands, charities and organisations to voluntarily commit to not digitally manipulating body proportions in any advertising or promotional material.
The harmful effects that viewing digitally altered bodies can have on a person's self-esteem and body image is highlighted in the campaign. As one in three teenagers feel shame about their body, and according to Girlguiding 94% of girls aged 11-21 believing more needs to be done to protect young people from body image pressures online.
Mr Anderson is calling on organisations to take this voluntary commitment to accurately represent a person’s body and make a significant difference in how beauty ideals are considered, as advertising makes a big difference in the way people perceive not just products, but themselves. Boots, Dove, and Marks and Spencer have already signed the pledge.
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He said: "I am very pleased to support this important campaign. For too long advertising and promotional images have contained digitally manipulated body proportions, falsely presenting them as an honest representation of that person.
"Not only does this harm people who see these images online, in stores or on the pages of magazines, but it causes distress to the person who has had their body digitally ‘fixed’. By making this commitment organisations all around the country could make a tangible, crucial difference to those suffering with an eating disorder or low body confidence.
“The Body Image Pledge is a simple step towards honest advertising. There is no easy solution to this problem, but it is hoped that companies who make this commitment to support the pledge will make a real difference to how we as a society view body image, which will greatly impact our mental and physical health as a nation."
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