By: Minea Kalmar
Are filters a problem on social media?
Recent studies shows that 80% of women compare how they look to other people on social media (FHEHealth, 2020). To end these unrealistic beauty standards that we constantly see in magazines and on social media, should we do the same as Norway and legislate that photos with a commercial intent should be labeled as “edited” when the persons look, or body has had alterations to it?
I agree, there is a difference between retouching a photo to cover a pimple and adjusting the color and lightening compared to editing your waist smaller, skin darker and lips bigger. But where does the line go?
What is retouching?
We hear a lot about retouching and filters, but what counts as body and/or face alterations? According to the Norwegian legislation if you alter the shape, size, or skin, you need to clearly mark the content as edited (Forbrukertilsynet, 2022) . Using filters or lenses that change the appearance of the person in the picture or video also falls under this category. Meaning if you make your waist thinner, nose smaller or skin flawless you must mark the content as edited - but you are only required to mark it if you are using the picture or video with a commercial intent.
It is important to mention, that if you are whitening your teeth, changing the color of your hair or eyes, it does not need to be marked, but if you decide to make your eyes slightly bigger, hair a little longer or lips more plumped, it is in fact a requirement as you are changing the appearance of a person (Forbrukertilsynet, 2022).
So, if you are an influencer doing a sponsored or paid post or story on Instagram and have used a filter that makes your skin clearer you are required to clearly mark the content not only as commercial content but also as edited. If the post is not marked correctly, you can be fined with an amount depending on the size of the violation.
It is also important to mention, that you are not required to mark the content if you have adjusted the brightness or structure of the picture or video as this is not altering your face, body, or skin.
Should Denmark follow in Norway’s footsteps and adapt the same law?
The legislation in Norway became a reality in July’22 and since then some Danish brands and magazines have commented on this subject. A few brands like AEO Inc. (AEO Inc, 2022), ModCloth (ModCloth, 2022) and Dove (The Guardian, 2021) already have this no-editing-policy on their media content and others are slowly beginning to do the same because of the positive effect on the consumer.
The overall response is positive and the proposal for this law has been sent to its approval at the parliament in Denmark - but like everything else, these things take time. The Danish magazine “Alt for Damerne” commented on this, saying that they have a rule to never retouch their own models and content in the magazine, not even on the front page (Alt For Damerne, 2022).This is to be more transparent and to show what “real women look like” but at the same time, they also mention that this “rule” does not apply to their paid advertiser’s content – not that transparent if you ask me, and kind of beats the good intentions of their “non-editing-rule”.
Can it have a positive effect?
The main intent with this law is to counter unrealistic beauty and body standards that we are constantly exposed to in society, commercials on social media. The legislations work as a guide to make people and especially young children aware of that models and influencer’s looks like everyone else when not heavily edited in commercials or when using face and body altering filters and apps on social media. The main goal is to reduce the idealization of unrealistic beauty and body standards in a commercial intent.
What do you think? Comment below and let us know what you think. We would love to hear your opinion!
References:
AEO Inc. (2022). AEO Inc. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from About AEO: https://www.aeo-inc.com/about-aeo/?fbclid=IwAR0ngkEJtVSLUQorSanHbTj2e8qwmvJRe1fL8u8E9KNWCdnmaYzloa7Z6Fo
Alt For Damerne. (2022, July 01). Alt For Damerne. Retrieved from Norge indfører ny lov, som skal modvirke kropsusikkerheder hos særligt unge: https://www.alt.dk/artikler/ny-norsk-lov-om-markering-a-retouchede-billeder
FHEHealth. (2020, November 30). FHEHealth. Retrieved from Body Image and Social Media Questionnaire: https://fherehab.com/news/bodypositive/
Forbrukertilsynet. (2022, October 23). Forbrukertilsynet. Retrieved from Forbrukertilsynets veiledning om merking av retusjert reklame: https://www.forbrukertilsynet.no/forbrukertilsynets-veiledning-om-merking-av-retusjert-reklame
ModCloth. (2022). ModCloth. Hentet 25. October 2022 fra The Story of Us: https://modcloth.com/pages/about-us-page?fbclid=IwAR3pTBfyRSr2II0crXkYyxFQ4c3r5mD1dRHsDXBmZyPORc39PDwc6P-l0Sw
The Guardian. (2021, March 9). The Guardian. Retrieved from Dove owner Unilever to ban excessive photo editing from its adverts: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/09/dove-owner-unilever-to-ban-excessive-photo-editing-from-its-adverts