Look in the mirror. Do you see someone who was born naturally beautiful? If yes, then great! But unfortunately, there are only a handful of people like you.
Today, large corporations force us to believe that we must be a certain way, fit a certain size, and look like the poster girl of their ads. But in the game of ethics, when has that ever become a reality? Yes, making a profit is important. However, is the main purpose of an advertisement to manipulate the meaning of beauty by inducing a generic standard?
According to the ad produced by Target – and many other corporations – it is shown that the model looks stunning in their Junior line bikini, but only after being (horrendously) air-brushed and moulded via Photoshop. This product is for JUNIORS, meaning the objective buyers are YOUNG ADULTS – The mindset of the younger generation is already being clouded with misinformation regarding a person’s appearance.
Target, being a superstore who’s supposed goal is to provide affordable products for everyday people, could torpedo their company by continuing these ads; opening their flood gates to potential oppressors against the torturous tool of Photoshop. This may even turn away potential customers who genuinely believe they can’t buy the product because they look nothing like the model.
Photoshop will always be a hot topic bringing about debates, but how much longer are we as a society going to tolerate all the negative effects that it brings?
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNgkjiPboPE
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/target-photoshop-fail_n_4940819.html
http://www.women24.com/FashionAndBeauty/NewsandTrends/Targets-photoshop-fail-20140311