Amy buckley dissertation

The use of Photoshop editing in fashion publications and its effects on self-objectification

Amy Buckley 200620298 The School of Design, University of Leeds This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Textile Design Date of submission: 17/03/2015

Abstract

This investigation considers the relationships between idealised body images frequently represented in fashion publications, the use of Photoshop and the issue of self-objectification amongst women aged 16-25. The original research methodologies help determine a statistical increase in the use of Photoshop, a clear relationship between software editing and the unattainable body ideals often presented as iconic fashion images.

Further, strong discrepancies were discovered within the study between the views of ‘normal’ body shapes and unrealistic ideals which are digitally created and widely presented by fashion advertisements. An important outcome of the research is the negative impact such advertising can create in terms of selfobjectification and negative self-views amongst women in their late teens to midtwenties.

Contents

1.0

Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1

1.1

Aims and objectives ............................................................................................ 1

2.0

Literature review ................................................................................................. 2

2.1

Self-Objectification .............................................................................................. 2

2.2

Body ideals ......................................................................................................... 5

2.2.1 2.3

Campaigns ...................................................................................................... 6 Photo editing....................................................................................................... 8

2.3.1

Photoshop; its use within the fashion industry ................................................. 8

2.3.2

Companies going against the extreme use of Photoshop .............................. 10

3.0

Methodology ..................................................................................................... 13

3.1

Questionnaire ................................................................................................... 14

3.2

Archive investigation ......................................................................................... 16

3.3

Focus group...................................................................................................... 18

4.0

Results ............................................................................................................. 19

4.1

Report of research ............................................................................................ 20

4.1.1

Questionnaire ................................................................................................ 20

4.1.2

Archive investigation ..................................................................................... 29

4.1.3

Focus group .................................................................................................. 33

5.0

Discussion of results ......................................................................................... 38

5.1

Questionnaire ................................................................................................... 38

5.2

Archive investigation ......................................................................................... 42

5.3

Focus group...................................................................................................... 44

6.0

Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 48

6.1

Areas for further study ...................................................................................... 49

7.0

References ....................................................................................................... 50

8.0

Appendix .......................................................................................................... 57

1.0

Introduction

This study investigates the connection between body ideals portrayed in fashion publications, the use of Photoshop and how this can affect the issue of selfobjectification.

Self-objectification is an action that encourages people to view their own physical appearance as other people may view them; high levels of self-objectification cause dangerous consequences such as eating disorders.

Photoshop is a photo editing software that can be used significantly edit photographs, the alterations made using Photoshop can be very hard to detect from the original photographs. Fashion publications use Photoshop to create the illusion of female body perfection and levels of female beauty that are not obtainable or realistic to every woman; this study will examine how the changes made by fashion publications can affect levels of self-objectification.

1.1

Aims and objectives

The aim of this investigation is to explore the impact of fashion publications’ use of Photoshop to create unachievable ideals which often create psychological effects on readers. To investigate this subject thoroughly the investigation will consist of a questionnaire to gain insight into the public’s preferred body images within magazines whilst looking into any level of comparison and touching on body ideals. The results from the questionnaire will then go onto inform a focus group; this will gain information on the public’s views towards body ideals created in fashion publications and discuss ways in which these publications can work towards lowering levels of self-objectification.

Knowledge into photo editing within the fashion industry will be utilised to gain an understanding of the way women may compare themselves to these images; there will be an investigation into fashion publication archives, this study will review information dating from the 1990’s. It is thought that research into archived fashion

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publications will show a significant rise in the use of Photoshop from when Photoshop was released in 1990 to the present day.

2.0

Literature review

The following introduces the existing concepts of self-objectification, body ideals and photo editing; explaining how photo editing can influence self-objectification and body ideals. This chapter reviews investigations into the main topics, which have been apparent for a substantial amount of years, and discuss how photo editing has changed since the mid 1990’s and how this has changed body ideals portrayed by the media, in turn people’s level of self-objectification.

2.1

Self-Objectification

The following section presents a range of definitions relating to self-objectification, all of the definitions discussed are based on the established work of Fredrickson & Roberts (1997) research and objectification theory. Self-objectification is the action of viewing one’s self as others may view them; viewing themselves in a way that questions their physical appearance (e.g. ‘do I look good enough? Am I thin enough?’ and not in terms of physical abilities (e.g. ‘am I capable?’)

‘Women’s bodies are looked at, evaluated, and always potentially objectified’.

(Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997, p.175) Although this study was conducted 14 years ago the work is still relevant; the fact that Fredrickson and Roberts’ work is still relevant today is strong indication to the scope and intensity of the issue of body dissatisfaction amongst women. Their work regarding self-objectification can be applied to contemporary society, especially fashion design and fashion advertisements; Photoshop was created in 1990, this means it is possible that when Fredrickson & Robert’s work regarding self-objectification was published, Photoshop was in use commercially in fashion publications. An investigation into the levels of photo editing over the past two decades would benefit this study and 2

may reveal clarification as to why self-objectification was a prominent issue in 1997 and why it is still very a significant issue in the current day. In the 21st Century, women’s bodies are scrutinised every day, platforms such as social media and online blogs have immense potential for women’s bodies to be viewed evaluated and objectified by their peers; this is just one example, aside from the additional daily exposure of images through conventional media, including magazines, advertising and television. An example of bodies being evaluated or even shamed is the work of artist Lindsay Bottos. Bottos created a collection of self-portraits along with anonymous hate messages she was receiving due to posting images of herself on her blog. The messages she was receiving were telling her to eat more, saying she’s too fat and she was ‘one of the ugliest girls I’ve ever seen’ (Bottos, 2014). Although Bottos is just one in a huge number of people receiving hate messages, Bottos’ work is a palpable example of her body being evaluated and objectified.

The notion of self-objectification suggests that the ‘media’s insidious practice of objectifying bodies socializes individuals to take an outsider’s perspective on the physical self (i.e., self-objectify)’ and causing individuals to ‘habitually monitor their appearance’ to meet the expectations of others or comply with media body ideals (Aubrey, 2006, p. 366). The term self-objectification is derived from ‘objectification theory’, which suggests that ‘girls and women are typically acculturated to internalize an observer’s perspective as a primary view of their physical selves.’

(Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). The research of Fredrickson & Roberts puts forward the idea that girls and women ‘may to some degree come to view themselves as objects or “sights” to be appreciated by others’ (p. 180), this in turn ‘can lead to a form of self-consciousness characterized by habitual monitoring of the body’s outward appearance.’ (p. 180); this concept could relay the way in which women may possibly judge models in magazines and advertisements and use the same philosophy on their own bodies. Self-objectification can have a number of characteristics; such as appearance investment i.e. ‘how important our appearance is for our sense of self-esteem’ (National Citizen Service, 2014). If a person has low appearance investment they can rate their appearance positively or negatively, yet someone with high investment can also rate their appearance positively or negatively. This can make it challenging to study the amount of self3

objectification and levels of self-esteem of a person as level of self-objectification isn’t clear to others simply from appearance; it is a psychological issue and varies for every individual.

The results published in October 2014 in the Body Confidence Findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey, suggest that; only 63% of women ages 18-34 are satisfied with their appearance; 32% of all adults questioned gave a positive response to the survey question ‘your value as a person depends on how you look’; and 47% of adults think that ‘how you look affects what you can achieve in life’. These results suggest that the British population has strongly negative views regarding their own and other’s appearance, in addition the study stresses how this can affect individuals in their future lives (i.e. their employability), the conclusions from this recent study have clear parallels to the self-objectification theory, showing that the way we view ourselves can impact our own evaluation and self-esteem. Although every individual is affected at different levels and in different ways by images in the media, the most common reaction found in previous studies is self-objectification.

The original study by M. Kurosaki, (2006) involved showing women ten photographs of their own body that had been distorted on a scale of ‘thin’ to ‘fat’ using Paint Shop Pro Version 8.02; although this study didn’t use Photoshop to distort their images, the two programs can create the same outcome of altered body size and shape, keeping Kurosaki’s study relevant to this investigation. The participating women’s brains reacted in the same way as it would if it they were fearful; strong emotional responses can induce negative mental and physical states for example eating disorders. Kurosaki’s study reveals disturbing results, suggesting that when women see themselves as ‘fat’ they then become fearful of that image. This is an interesting study and will be kept in mind when further investigation is carried out, as an aim of this investigation is to examine emotions after viewing digitally edited photographs. With much of the research within selfobjectification coming from the late 1990’s, it is easy to see that self-objectification has been an ongoing issue for decades with the evidence from the Body Confidence Findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey presenting modern

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results. From the Body Confidence Findings, it is evident that there are many aspects and platforms which affect levels of self-objectification.

From the research and study into self-objectification, it is possible to see how images in fashion publications can cause levels of self-objectification. Following this, an investigation into body ideals will be carried out, to question if body images in fashion publications can cause self-objectification.

2.2

Body ideals

The following information discusses body ideals, how they are achieved and how they affect self-objectification. Body ideals are the aesthetic standards projected by the media that state the body images society needs to aim for; body ideals can create pressure for people to live up the expectations seen in the media and may encourage issues such as self-objectification, self-esteem and health problems.

According to Levine & Smolak (1996) there are many contributors to low selfesteem relating to body image, yet the main influence is mass media. Platforms such as billboards and radio can be referred to as “mass media”, yet the platforms with the most significance and under most investigation are magazines and television. It is often the case for images in magazines to undergo significant manipulation; digitally manipulated images in the media can be considered as a contributing factor to self-objectification by portraying false body images to its readers. A study carried out by Nichter & Nichter (2001) that states teenage girls ‘described the ideal girl as 5 ft. 7 in., 100lb, size 5, with long blond hair and blue eyes.’ Nichter & Nichter’s study is supported by a study from Kilbourne that presents the theory that states the majority of models used are ‘Young, thin, white, blonde and blue eyed’ (Killing us softly 4, 2014) emphasising the lack of cultural diversity in fashion advertisements, which may create a sense of feeling unrepresented. The representation of these ideals of beauty can have long term effects on women who fail to fit into this ideal. With such restricting beauty ideals for girls and women, serious problems concerning body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem can occur; which in some circumstances can lead to eating disorders.

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Evidence from Grogan, Williams & Connor (1996) tells us that adolescent girls and college aged women are more likely to diet as a result of being affected by negative body image; dieting combined with particular personalities and family dynamics, can prompt all-consuming, dangerous eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Polivy & Herman, 2002). The work by Polivy and Herman prove there are dangerous links between images seen in the media and women’s psychological health. An example of how psychological health can be compromised by viewing images in the media is the work of HansChristoph Friederich; Friederich used Kurosaki’s cognitive experiment, in which women were shown 11 distorted images of themselves at varying sizes, and extended it to the use of fashion models and their impact on body dissatisfaction in relation to body ideals, this was compared to the effects of looking at images of interior design; interior design was used as an emotionally balanced subject matter to highlight the differences in emotional responses in the brain. Friederich et al (2007) found that all eighteen women suffered from heightened anxiety when viewing the models idealized body. Studies like this show that viewing images in the media can negatively affect cognitive patterns, in turn they can affect wellbeing and happiness levels.

Following research into thought-provoking ideas and investigations, it is plausible to say that body ideals created by the media can produce levels of anxiety and self-objectification. After establishing an understanding of how body ideals can affect the way in which women feel psychologically, after viewing idealised images in the media, the next step is to research into how/if it is possible to reduce the amount of body ideals that create self-objectification within the media, in particular the fashion industry, as this is a highly influential industry for young women.

2.2.1 Campaigns

This section focusses on the way campaigns can be utilised to fight the misrepresentation of women’s bodies; lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret released their ‘Perfect Body’ campaign in November 2014 which comprised of an advertisement showing their models wearing the new collection. The campaign 6

came under scrutiny due to the implications that the ‘perfect body’ is that of the Victoria’s Secret models, which is unachievable for the majority of women shopping in their stores.

Leeds University students, Gabriella Kountourides, Frances Black and Laura Ferris used Change.org to create a petition aimed at Victoria’s secret, urging for them to ‘Apologise for, and amend the irresponsible marketing of your new bra range 'Body'’(Change, 2014). Their petition stated that ‘We would like Victoria’s Secret to apologise and take responsibility for the unhealthy and damaging message that their wording ‘The Perfect ‘Body’’ sends out to society about women’s bodies and how they should be judged’ (Change, 2014) with the aim that Victoria’s secret would change the advertisement and ‘pledge not to use such marketing in the future.’ (Change, 2014). With the use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, and the hashtag ‘#iamperfect’, the petition was successful and reached its limit of 33,001 supporters, forcing Victoria’s Secret to change their advertisements. Victoria’s secret failed to apologise, but changed their advertisements to state that their collection is ‘a body for everybody. Perfect fit. Perfect comfort. Perfectly soft’; Kountourides made a significant argument that not much had changed by stating that ‘the advert is kind of ironic because it says for ‘everybody’ and yet it is just one kind of body. We would love to see them incorporate more girls and bodies, and have everyone there.’ (Telegraph, 2014).

The work set up by Kountourides, Black and Ferris, in conjunction with the online campaigning through social media highlights the need for a diversity in bodies represented in fashion advertisements and publications.

The idea of using a range of body sizes throughout the investigation is supported by campaigns such as the Diversity Network held by Edinburgh College of Art; The Diversity Network is a collaboration between Edinburgh College of Art and All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, creating an ‘initiative challenging the fashion industry’s dependence on unachievable and unhealthy body ideals’. This initiative ‘promotes ‘emotionally considerate’ design’ and works towards ‘engagement with users’ needs and feelings’. Diversity Network have begun working with the high street fashion brand H&M on a student project that is ‘recognising how the fashion design industry can play a significant role in shaping positive perceptions of sizing through excellence in research and design methods.’ (Edinburgh College of Art, 2013).

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The work of the Diversity Network aids the discussion of using a range of body sizes in this investigation, by showing that it is possible for people working within the fashion industry to consider using a range of body ideals within their work.

With work such as that done by the Diversity Network along with publicly held petitions such as the one for Victoria’s secret, it is possible for the public’s desire for a wider range of body shapes and sizes in the media to be voiced to fashion companies.

2.3

Photo editing

Photoshop is a photo editing programme that allows various companies to edit photographs to innumerable extents; this can be the colour, shape, size, compositions and overall style of an image. Photo editing using Photoshop for fashion publications is very beneficial when editing composition and lighting, this section will discuss the way in which Photoshop can also be used to edit models bodies and physical appearance, in some cases to extreme levels. The most challenging aspect to the use of Photoshop on people’s appearance is that most of the time it is not possible to recognise when it has been edited; this leads to the viewer thinking the image they are seeing is untouched and strive for a body image that may not be possible without the use of Photoshop. The terms ‘Photoshopping’ and ‘Photoshopped’ have been coined to describe the editing of photos completed with the use of Photoshop.

2.3.1 Photoshop; its use within the fashion industry

The following section will discuss the general issues surrounding the uses of Photoshop in the media. Louis Grubb, a leading photo retoucher from New York, told Jacobson and Mazur; ‘almost every photograph you see for a national advertiser these days has been worked on by a retoucher to some degree…

Fundamentally, our job is to correct the basic deficiencies in the original photograph or, in effect, to improve upon the appearance of reality’. (Jacobson, MF and Laura AM, 1995) this information from Grubb, although from 1995, is still 8

very evident in today’s media there are countless examples of model and celebrity photo editing that goes into magazines; this is seen in a number of leaked before and after images. A recent study by New Look suggests that women still need to be better informed about the ways Photoshop can manipulate photographs. The New Look study reveals that out of 2000 women, ages 18-65, 15% of the women answered positively to believing the images of celebrities and models in magazines were realistic representations of how they look in reality, the study then goes on to claim that 33% of the women questioned felt the body they were seeking to achieve, isn’t possible (Edmondson, 2013). Jo Swinson MP, junior Equalities Minister, revealed that ‘90% of adults would like to see a broader range of body shapes shown in advertising and the media’ (Body Confidence campaign Progress Report, 2013), again that recent study has suggested there is still a clear problem with the use of Photoshop and body ideals shown to women in the media.

Credos, an advertising think-tank, carried out an investigation entitled ‘Pretty as a Picture’; this investigation questioned ‘what do you women in the UK really think of airbrushing? And what is its impact?’(Advertising Association, 2014). Credos carried out their study on 1024 girls and women ages 10-21; the age groups were broken down into young women (10-21 year olds), pre-teens (20-12year olds), early teens (13-15 year olds), mid-teens (16 and 17 year olds) and young adults (18-21 year olds), the logical breaking up of age groups will be considered within the methodology in this investigation as Credos goes on to state that knowledge may differ in different age groups by saying that ‘figures vary considerably depending on the age of the respondent, and to a lesser extent by social grade’ (Credos, 2011). The methodology within this investigation is expected to be carried out by a large number of design students aged 18-25 who may have more knowledge of Photoshop than older or younger participants, so using specific well thought through age groups will be beneficial when analysing results. Credos’ results showed that the younger girls were more worried about the ‘use of airbrushing to erase spots or blemishes, possibly because they are more likely to suffer from skin problems at this age.’ The study then goes on to say how older girls are ‘most critical of the use of airbrushing to significantly alter the body shape of a model, possibly because they are more likely to have low body confidence’; this shows why age groups can be very beneficial in an investigation that is a

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spanning a wide age group that may have different views and opinions based on the pressures of different age groups.

Credos’ exploration into airbrushing is relevant to this investigation as it sourced information on the opinions of airbrushing, as well as how it impacts people’s lives.

The investigation states that ‘almost half (47%) agree with the statement ‘Seeing adverts using thin models makes me want to diet/lose weight/feel more conscious of the way I look’ (Credos, 2011), this is a clear link to the theory of selfobjectification and relates to the research within the methodology. As part of their investigation, Credos showed the participants four images of the same model, three being at varying levels of airbrushing and one being totally natural; their results show that 40% would choose the natural image to be shown in adverts for women. The results from allowing participants to choose the model they would like to see in adverts for women like themselves, shows that they prefer seeing natural images that convey a realistic image of women; this is relevant towards the investigation in terms of the exploration into model preferences in fashion advertisements.

This section has revealed statistics that conclude women would prefer to see more natural images in the media, this study goes on to discuss companies that have pledged to not use Photoshop to edit their models and how by doing this may affect self-objectification levels.

2.3.2 Companies going against the extreme use of Photoshop

In contrast to the above findings, there are a small number of fashion magazines and brands that refuse to retouch their models and instead aim to ‘empower women’ (Verily Magazine LLC, 2014). Women’s fashion and lifestyle online magazine Verily have a strict policy towards editing the photographs of the women they show in their magazine and website; ‘Whereas other magazines Photoshop to achieve the “ideal” body type and skin, we firmly believe that the unique features of women — be it crows feet, freckles, or a less-than-rock-hard body — contribute to their beauty and don’t need to be removed or changed with Photoshop. Therefore, we never alter the body or facial structure of our models, remove wrinkles or birthmarks, or change the texture of their skin. We aim to show 10

everyone at their best, but also firmly believe that “your best” is not “a work of fiction.”’ (Verily Magazine LLC, 2014) Their mission is to 'empower and inspire women to be the best versions of themselves’ (Verily Magazine LLC, 2014). The owners of Verily came to this decision when they realised that as a group of ethnically diverse women, they still felt highly unrepresented in women’s magazines and discovering results from Dove’s ‘The Real Truth About Beauty ‘(Dove, 2004) study. Verily is an important example of how magazines can begin to work towards a responsible use of Photoshop and how to portray women’s bodies realistically.

The findings from Dove’s study revealed that only 13% of women questioned are ‘very satisfied with their body’ and 13% said the same about their own body weight and shape. The Real Truth About Beauty also revealed women’s opinions about the women they see in the media; with 75% of women wishing that ‘The media did a better job of portraying women of diverse physical attractiveness’ i.e. age, shape and size ( Etcoff et al., 2004). The study then goes on to reveal that women aged 18-44 are more concerned about seeing women of different body shapes and weight; displaying the need for more diverse models in the media. Another magazine which helps towards the representation of women is Darling magazine, they claim that their magazine ‘Challenges cultural ‘ideas’ of beauty and questions its exaggerated importance. Sees beauty in every type of woman.’ they also claim that their magazine ‘Never uses Photoshop to alter women’s faces or bodies.’ By not using Photoshop to change their models faces or bodies, they are portraying a positive message to their readers that their bodies don’t need to be altered, which may help towards lowering self-objectification.

An additional example of how realistic, different body images are beginning to appear in the fashion industry is Aerie lingerie and clothing; Aerie does not use Photoshop to edit their models in their advertisements. Jenny Altman, the line's style and fit expert, told ABC News that ‘We left everything. We left beauty marks, we left tattoos, what you see is really what you get with our campaign’ (ABC News, 2014), Altman then went on to say ‘It's a selling point because our customers represent this great demographic and they don't really get to see what girls their age really look like.’ (ABC News, 2014). Aeries key demographic is age 15-21 year old females, in America this is high school and college students, at this age girls are exposed to a large number of advertisements on many platforms 11

such as social media, magazines, online shopping and television, possibly making them more susceptible to self-objectification through viewing unattainable body ideals every day. The efforts by Aerie in trying to represent the demographic of women shopping there signifies the need for a more diverse range of models, this is highlighted by The Real Truth About Beauty study by Dove. Research into areas such as magazines and companies pledging to not use Photoshop is beneficial to assembling a broad knowledge of the issues surrounding Photoshop within the current day; this will be valuable when carrying out primary research, as many of the investigations already studied have not been up-to-date with issues such as these.

Another campaign that is working towards the regulation of Photoshop in advertisements is the Heroes Pledge for Advertisers, which ‘want to make sure all consumers, especially children, know when a human body has been altered in an ad.’ (The Brave Girls Alliance, no date) and provide the statistic that claims ‘80% of adult women feel worse about themselves after seeing a beauty ad, and 1 out of 3 of them describe their ideal body as one that doesn't even exist in nature.’

(The Brave Girls Alliance, no date). The Heroes Pledge for Advertisers is the action for advertisers to ‘To do our best not to change the shape, size, proportion, color and/or remove/enhance the physical features, of the people in our ads in post-production.’ (The Brave Girls Alliance, no date), and if their advertisement has been changed by the use of Photoshop they will add a ‘“Truth In Advertising” label to these ads to ensure consumers, in particular children and teens, do not confuse an advertising “ideal” with what’s real.’ The “Truth in Advertisement” label, which states when an image has been digitally altered so consumers know that an image has been digitally enhanced in the sense of body shapes, size and colour.

By pledging for more companies to use the “Truth in Advertisement” label, more teenagers and women will know that the bodies they are seeing have been ‘materially’ (The Brave Girls Alliance, no date) altered; if teenagers and women knew what they were viewing wasn’t 100% true they may be able to understand they don’t need to feel the pressure to look like the women in these images.

‘Materially’ changed, refers to the changed to a ‘person's shape, size, proportion, color, removal and/or enhancement of individual features’ and not to small changed such as lighting and fixing stray hairs. An example of a fashion brand utilising the Heroes Pledge for Advertisers is ModCloth and claim that ‘As a 12

company, we certainly feel frustrated by overly Photoshopped advertisements, which is why we just became the first fashion company to sign The Heroes Pledge For Advertisers’ (ModCloth, 2014). ModCloth acknowledge that consumers want to see the truth in the images they see when looking at products and not deceived by companies. Brave Girls Alliance are hoping more companies sign up to The Heroes Pledge for Advertisers so as to achieve a ‘public health goal’ (Brave Girls Alliance, no date), with this notion in mind it is possible to think that campaigns such as The Heroes Pledge for Advertisers can go a long way to changing the way the fashion industry exploit the use of Photoshop and therefore reduce selfobjectification levels.

Following the research into companies pledging to not use Photoshop all together, or to limit how much they edit their images was very valuable to the investigation and has demonstrated that some companies are feeling the pressure to represent models realistically and be truthful to their readers and customers.

3.0

Methodology

The approach of this investigation will be highly based on the idea of selfobjectification and self-comparison; this will provide answers as to whether readers compare themselves to images found in fashion publications and suggest whether fashion publications encourage self-objectification.

Firstly a questionnaire with be conducted to collect quantitative responses; these results will be taken from the general public. Secondly, an archive investigation into changes in photo editing will take place by utilising the University of Leeds Vogue and L’Officiel archives. Following that a focus group will be generated to focus upon self-objectification through body ideals and ways in which selfobjectification levels could be lowered.

The investigation is highly based on digital aspects surrounding self-esteem, rather than a psychological view, this creates an original aspect to the study;

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tackling digital design issues by utilizing Photoshop within the investigation will provide organic results.

3.1

Questionnaire

The questionnaire aims to discover the level in which the public review their own appearance in comparison to the models in fashion publications whilst also determining preferences towards the models used; by doing this it will be clear whether there is a correlation between model preference and the level of comparison to the models and in turn self-objectification. The questionnaire will then go onto question the public’s knowledge of Photoshop and the ways it can be utilised for use in the fashion industry; by questioning the knowledge of the public, it gives the investigation an overall estimation on how well they understand the effects of Photoshop. Finally, participants will be asked to give an insight as to how they/others may feel after viewing unachievable body ideals; this will provide solid data relating to self-objectification.

The questionnaire will go onto inform aspects of other methods of investigation, such as chosen participants in a focus group. It is thought that the main participants that carry out this investigation will be students aged 18-25; this is because it will be a relevant subject that may affect them personally, and the questionnaire will be sent out to the University Of Leeds School Of Design. It is predicted that the results will show a level of self-objectification when viewing the images of models. Another expectation of the questionnaire is that there will be a correlation between levels of self-objectification and the age and gender of the participants; this may provide interesting data to work with.

The full questionnaire and responses can be seen in Appendix G

The initial questions identify age and gender, this information is important to the study because it will help to define the age and gender of the broad range of participants. By having results from a range of ages in this investigation it gives the ability to see which age group these issues affect the most and therefore 14

which age groups to include in the focus group. See appendix A for details into age within the questionnaire.

Questioning both males and females within this study is an original aspect of the study as most of the studies within the literature review study the way the media affects females; it is difficult to find in depth research into male focussed studies.

Defining the gender of the participant will allow for any differences in views between males and females having answered questions that discuss the use of Photoshop on both men and women. From this question the aim is to find out whether Photoshop is seen as a gender specific issue and allow for any other questions to reveal interesting results due in relation to gender; it is thought that a high number of females will carry out this questionnaire as the study could be seen as a mostly female issue. These results will determine whether any further investigation into differences in gender views is necessary.

Participants will be asked which magazines they prefer to read, this will help to define the participant’s interest and interaction with fashion publications. By posing this question, it is then narrowing down which results may be most relevant to the investigation. It is predicted that there will be a correlation between age and choices of magazines within this question; therefore participants will answer questions with their selected types of magazines in mind. See appendix B for details into magazine choice.

Participants will be shown images from existing fashion advertisements showing varying body size, they will then be asked to choose which they would prefer to see in a magazine to sell products. This question has been designed to reveal their preferred image and ask them why they chose their image, by asking them to explain their choice there is a possibility to gain insight into people’s opinions on different body sizes. The information gathered is designed to support a better understanding of which images create self-objectification. See appendix C for details on preferred models within fashion publications and images used.

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Following that, the next question queries the participant’s knowledge on Photoshop by asking if they have used Photoshop before; doing this gives the possibility to gain an idea of their understanding of the way Photoshop can work.

Participants will then be shown Adobe’s description of Photoshop as ‘Image editing and compositing’ (Adobe, 2015) this will create a deeper understanding of participant’s knowledge on Photoshop; they will be asked as to whether they understand this description and asked to give their own interpretation of how they think magazines use Photoshop. This question creates an additional layer of participant knowledge and interest in the subject.

The final question asks the participants how they/other may feel after viewing images of unrealistic body ideals in fashion publications; this question concentrates on self-objectification which is a main focus of research in the questionnaire. From this question is it hoped that participants will provide honest responses to create a deep insight into self-objectification. Refer to appendix D for more information and images used in this question.

To summarise, the aims of the questionnaire is to achieve an insight into the public’s preferences and opinions on model sizes portrayed in fashion publications; this will inform further study into the possible need for diversity within fashion publications. The most significant issue that needs to be addressed from the questionnaire is if participants compare themselves and/or feel others may compare themselves to the images found in fashion publications; giving an idea into if they can cause levels of self-objectification. The results from the questionnaire are used to design a focus group and will be used to gather more qualitative responses and a discussion on self-objectification created by body ideals portrayed in fashion publications.

3.2

Archive investigation

Following the questionnaire, the focus of the study continues onto photo editing; this will be beneficial to the investigation as the questionnaire focussed highly on

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self-objectification, therefore photo editing will take the forefront to gain an extra understanding.

To determine whether there is a difference in the photo editing dating from when self-objectification was first discussed in 1997 and when Photoshop was launched to the photo editing in the current day; the next step in the investigation is to study the images in fashion publications dating from the early 1990’s, running to the current day. After investigating self-objectification and the possible ways fashion publications can affect the level of self-objectification and has been apparent since Photoshop was created and launched in 1990; therefore it is understandable why the fashion industry has utilized its features in a commercial sense since then.

Although it is documented by many researchers (Fredrickson & Roberts, David M. Huebner, Tomi-Ann Roberts, Stephanie M. Noll, Diane M. Quinn and Jean M. Twenge) that self-objectification has been a problem since the mid 90’s, it’s not possible to say that the use of Photoshop in fashion publications are completely to blame for this; firstly, because the level of photo editing that was used in the fashion industry is not clear, secondly beauty standards and ideals have changed significantly since 1990 so it may be difficult to make assumptions that there is a correlation between photo editing and self-objectification. The first process carried out to analyse the ways in which Photoshop was used in past decades within fashion publications was utilise the Vogue and L’Officiel archives in The University of Leeds library.

The University of Leeds’ archives hold issues of Vogue and L’Officiel dating from the early 1990’s to the present day; this allows for a direct comparison of genuine fashion publications to give a strong, distinguished comparison of the level of photo editing used throughout the past twenty five years.

To conclude, by studying the archived magazines, it will be possible to see any changes in the amount and the ways in which photo editing was used when Photoshop was becoming a commercially used photo editing program. By investigating the levels of photo editing, it will be possible to see if there has been an increase in beauty standards and may give reason to why levels of selfobjectification and low self-esteem are a significant problem.

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3.3

Focus group

The focus group is designed to gain an insight into the perception of body ideals within fashion publications and the level of self-objectification caused by body ideals. The focus group will consist of only women; this is due to primary and secondary research showing that women are more affected by unrealistic body ideals that are seen in the media than men. The focus group will question participant’s thoughts on fashion publications creating self-objectification; furthermore, discussing concepts to eradicate self-objectification.

The first exercise in the focus group is influenced by Credos’ Pretty as a Picture study discussed in the literature review, participants will be shown a series of images consisting of fashion models which have been manipulated a number of times with the use of Photoshop; the images will show the models at varying sizes, the participants will then be asked to decide which they think had been used in the fashion publication, and then asked to state which they thought was the most realistic body image. By asking them to state which they thought was used in the publication is again investigating their knowledge of fashion advertisements, and also gives the possibility for a contrast between what they thought was the most realistic body image.

At this point, the participants will be asked how much they understand about body ideals; body ideals are a main issue the focus group is aiming to tackle.

Participants will then be informed that body ideals can create a level of selfobjectification; they will be given a hand out containing Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) explanation of self-objectification and examples of the types of images that are being discussed so that they all have an equal understanding of the issue.

Following this, the participants will then be asked what their opinion on fashion publications can creating self-objectification is; this allows discussion of selfobjectification.

Finally, the participants will be shown examples of publications and fashion companies that have pledged to not use Photoshop in an extreme manner, or at

18

all. They will then be asked to discuss if they feel levels of self-objectification would lower if more companies pledged to stop using Photoshop.

Participants will then be given information on the Truth in Advertising and asked to discuss whether they feel a watermark stating whether Photoshop has been used to alter women’s appearances would create awareness of the effects of Photoshop and subsequently lower self-objectification. This part of the focus group should provide distinctive results that will work towards answering whether body ideals in fashion publications cause self-objectification. See appendix E for more information on how the focus group has been designed to achieve the results hoped for and how it will be carried out; this also includes the hand outs provided to the participants with questions and images.

In summary, the focus group will draw upon the participant’s experiences and opinions surrounding self-objectification due to fashion publications; this should provide definite results and work towards fulfilling the aims of this study. All of the components within the methodology work towards gaining knowledge from the public on their understanding of Photoshop used in fashion publications and creating unrealistic body ideals; furthermore it will investigate the public’s opinions on self-objectification and what changes can be made to eradicate selfobjectification due to reading fashion publications.

4.0

Results

The results from the questionnaire were compiled online by BOS Surveys, through having access to this service, it allowed for filtering of results which made it possible to see how each demographic had answered, making the discussion of findings much more thorough. Ninety people in total took part in the questionnaire, the participants being a range of ages and both male and female; this was the wanted outcome of participants as they provide a vast array of results.

Throughout the archive investigation, images were used to compare levels of photo editing, looking at elements such as blemishes, wrinkles and skin tone.

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The focus group utilized the opportunity for discussion with the use of images; these can be seen in Appendix G. 4.1

Report of research

Within the report of research, results will be evaluated and the main points discussed. Strengths and weaknesses to the research plan will be discussed, as well as any changes that would be made in the future.

4.1.1 Questionnaire

The following information is a breakdown into relevant subdivisions that are most valuable to the research title. Special attention will be paid to the comparison of bodies to fashion publications, this is because self-objectification is a main focus for the questionnaire. For more information on how the results were broken down see appendix F.

Ages 16-20 (20%)

-

94.9% of participants in this age group were female and 5.6% were male.

-

All magazines apart from Red, Heat and L’Officiel were selected once. (see figure below)

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-

When asked to select a type of image they would prefer to see in fashion publications 50% chose image 3, 38.9% chose image 1, 11.1% chose image 2.

-

94.4% had used Photoshop before with only 5.6% having not used the programme before.

-

The below bar chart represents that 66.7% believed they compared themselves to images in fashion publications, 33% saying they didn’t.

-

72.2% of participants agreed that fashion publications portray unrealistic body images, with 27.8% disagreeing.

-

Answers to question 7c were mainly stating that they felt as if they themselves/others pressured to look like the models and many encourage low self-esteem; only one says they wouldn’t feel any different.

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Ages 21-25 (35.6%)

-

93.8% of participants in this age group were female and 6.3% were male.

-

The figure blower shows that all magazines selected at least once, apart from L’Officiel and Woman’s Own, this was expected

-

78.1% had used Photoshop before with 21.9% having not used the programme before.

-

Majority of comments on how Photoshop is used in fashion publications are somewhat realistic and responses are similar.

-

71.9% felt as if they compared themselves to images found in fashion publications, whilst 28.1% felt they didn’t.

-

87.5% think fashion publications portray unrealistic body ideals whilst just 12.5% felt as if they didn’t; this is shown in the below figure.

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-

Answers to 7C were mainly stating that they felt as if they themselves/others wouldn’t feel ‘good enough’ and mention the words ‘self-esteem’ and ‘confidence’ Responses vary in terms views and detail.

Age 50+ (11.1%)

-

90% of participants in this age group were female and 10% were male.

-

Blow you can see that Woman’s Own was the most popular magazine read with 36.8%; this was expected.

-

All participants in this age group selected image 3 because ‘it implies to the reader that bodies come in all shapes and sizes’ and is ‘a true mixture of the public’.

-

Only 10% had used Photoshop before.

-

When asked what they thought Photoshop was used for in fashion publications, answers were much more generic to those of the younger age groups.

-

Only 10% said they felt as if they compared themselves to the images in fashion publications, 90% said they didn’t.

-

100% of participants thought fashion publications create unrealistic body ideals.

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-

All but one participant answered by saying they might feel ‘over weight’, ‘inadequate’ as well as other relevant statements to question 7c.

Female (91.1%)

-

30% of female participants were aged 21-25, 20.7% were 16-20 and 9% were 50+. Age groups 26-30, 31-35, 36-40 each had a percentage of 6.1 and 41-45 amounted to just 4.9%.

-

The highest scoring magazine was Cosmopolitan with 15.5%. Followed

by OK! With 13.1%, Vogue with 12.5% and Elle with 11.4%; the remaining options scored 10% or less.

-

you can see below that when asked which type of image they would prefer to see in fashion publications 72% chose image 3; ‘it is more close to our real life’ and ‘everyone’s shape and size is different, it’s a real view on figures’.

-

63.4% of females had used Photoshop before, with 36.6% having not used it.

-

They understand that fashion publications use Photoshop to edit the appearance of their models and the clothing they are advertising.

-

54.9% believe they compare themselves to images found in fashion publications, and 45.1% feeling as if they don’t.

-

88.9% of female participants think that fashion publications portray unrealistic body ideals.

-

All participants understood the negative effects body ideals can have on people’s feelings, reflected in question 7c.

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Male (8.9%)

-

50% of male participants were aged 21-30. With other age groups holding 12.5% each.

-

33.3% of male participants stated they would most likely read Vogue and 16.7% said they would buy i-D. The rest scored less than 10% each.

-

In the chart below you can see 75% of males chose image 3; ‘true mixture of the public’ and ‘all spectrums covered’.

-

62.5% of males had used Photoshop with 37.5% not used the programme before.

-

They gave varied responses, mentioning editing light and composition to the enhancing and editing of models.

-

37.5% of males felt as if they compared themselves to images in fashion publications, whilst 62.5 didn’t.

-

Represented below are the percentages of participants that believe fashion publication portray unrealistic body ideals.

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-

50% of results showed than males didn’t think people should feel as if they should self-objectify themselves. On the other hand, 50% of males did understand that people may feel ‘insecure’ or ‘sad’. Overall answers seem less detailed and less thought through.

Participants that answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you feel as if you compare yourself to these types of images found in fashion publications?’

-

Below you can see the figures for magazine choices; 25% were aged 16-20, 47.9% were aged 21-25, and the rest scored less than 10%.

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-

93.8% were female, 6.3% were male.

-

15.6% chose Cosmopolitan as their choice of magazine, OK! And Elle both got 13.5%, 12.5% selected Vogue, and Glamour and HELLO! Got 11.5%.

-

It is clear to see below that 70.8% chose image 3 when asked which image they would prefer to see in fashion publications, along with 22.9% choosing image 1.

-

61.5% have used Photoshop before, and 38.5% hadn’t.

-

Responses to how participants thought fashion publications use Photoshop seemed informed.

-

50% of participants thought that they compared themselves to images in fashion publications.

-

Participants responded to question 7c with answers such as ‘People may feel unworthy or that they need to change their appearance in order for people to like them and be able to 'pull off'.

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Participants that answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you think fashion publications portray unrealistic body ideals’ (87.6%)

-

16.7% were aged 16-20, 35.9% were aged 21-25, and 12.8% were aged 50+.

-

92.3% were female, 7.7% were male.

-

14.5% chose Cosmopolitan as their magazine of choice.

-

See below the data for model preferences; 74.4% of participants chose image 3 as their preferred type of image to be seen in fashion publications; ‘because it implies to the reader that bodies come in all shapes and sizes and should be recognised’, and ‘I choice it because the girls are all different shapes and sizes’.

-

61.5% had used Photoshop before, 38.5% hadn’t.

-

Responses to the use of Photoshop in fashion publications were well rounded and clear.

-

50% of participants felt as if they compared themselves to images found in fashion publications.

-

Responses to possible reactions after viewing images in fashion publications were very similar, expressing the notion of wanting to look like what they see; ‘Personally it makes me look at my perceived imperfections and question why I don't look like those girls. Even with an understanding of the editing that goes on its hard to ignore due to the sheer saturation of these images.’

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The key strength within this questionnaire is that participants knew their answers were completely anonymous so provided truthful responses; on the other hand, a significant weakness within this questionnaire could be that there wasn’t a large amount of male responses, if it was to be carried out again it would be aimed at more of a male audience as well as female as more male responses may have provided some interesting data that could have significantly affected the rest of the investigation. Written answers from this questionnaire weren’t all valuable; this is another weakness to collecting quantitative data on a subject that requires personal responses, a more qualitative form of investigation will need to follow to ensure substantial data.

4.1.2 Archive investigation

The following information is broken down into the different dates of the magazines reviewed; this provides scope for clear comparison of levels of photo editing.

-

Images in magazines from 1991 were less edited with many more visible wrinkles, blemishes, imperfections, uneven skin tone and even underarm hair (see figure 6), and along with other evidence of images appearing much more naturally than what is used in the present day.

-

Figures 1-6 show that images much softer, almost blurred compared to recent magazines; lack of technical advances in photography and printing, or maybe due to wanting to hide imperfections on skin

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Figure 1. (Escada advert in L’Officiel, September 1991)

Figure 2. (Louis Feraud in L’Officiel, September 1991)

Figure 3. (Un ete prexieux advert in L’Officiel, June 1991)

Figure 4. (Un ete prexieux advert in L’Officiel, June 1991)

Figure 5. (Yves Saint Laurent in

Figure 6, (Yves Saint Laurent in

L’Officiel, September 1991)

L’Officiel, September 1991) 30

-

Magazines dating 1998 displayed images that portray a natural look.

-

Most images seen could represent a significant change in the use of photo editing; less wrinkles, blemishes and smoother skin tone. (Figures 7-9)

-

This may be down to the rise in use of Photoshop during the 1990’s.

-

Figure 9 suggests males were seemingly unedited; males appeared much more natural and was accepted that they had wrinkles and blemishes which could show a difference in gender beauty standards.

Figure 7. (Joseph Janard advert in

Figure 8. (No 7 advert in Vogue,

Vogue, February 1998)

February 1998)

Figure 9. (Gucci advert in Vogue, February 1998)

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-

The images found in magazines from 2015 showed much more explicit uses of Photoshop; editing physical features of models and celebrities, no wrinkles, blemishes and even skin tones. (Figures 10-13)

-

A clear contrast between images found in the magazines from 1991 and those from the present day.

Figure 10, (Burberry in

Figure 11, (Dior in Vogue,

Vogue, February 2015)

2015)

Figure 12, (Versace in

Figure 13, (Chanel in L’Officiel,

Vogue, February 2015)

February 2015) 32

If this archive investigation was to be carried out again in the future, there would be a consideration of audiences; it is possible that the images found in L’Officiel appeared less edited due to beauty ideals in France being more natural, this could have been an interesting aspect to explore if there was more time. On the other hand, the investigation provided solid data that works towards proving the research aims.

4.1.3 Focus group

The first results from the focus group to be discussed are the results from the series of images the participants were shown; these revealed some interesting data that goes towards proving the hypothesis. The main points discussed for each question will then be transcribed in bullet point form.

Series 1 -

See figures below for charts stating 67% chose image A, 33 %

chose image B with nobody choosing image C or D as the original advertisements.

-

83% chose image D, 17% chose image A; see figure 20.

-

Only 1 person detected image A as a realistic body image.

Series 1 - realistic body image choice A 17%

B 0% C 0%

D 83%

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Series 1- original advertisement choice C 0%

D 0%

B 33% A 67%

Series 2 -

See figure below; 50% chose image D as the original, 33% chose

image C, 17% chose image A for the original advertisement.

-

100% chose image C for the realistic body image.

-

0% chose the image B (the original image) in either poll.

Series 2- original advertisement choice A 17%

B 0%

D 50% C 33%

Series 3 -

Below you can see that 50% chose image B as the original image.

33% detected image C as the original, 17% chose image A as the original.

-

50% chose image D as the most realistic. 33% chose image E which

was the largest image. 1 person (17%) chose image C as both the original and the most realistic body image.

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Series 3 - original advertisement choice D 0%

C 33%

E 0%

A 17%

B 50%

Series 3 - realistic body image choice A 0%

E 33%

B 0%

C 17%

D 50%

1 .Discussion of images Series 1

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Image B has a large gap between her thighs, looks edited.

-

Image A is the original whilst Image D is the most realistic to a woman’s

body.

Series 2

-

Participants were referring to models weight and repeatedly used the word

‘skinny’ to describe models; Image A ‘is very very skinny’ Image D is ‘the least skinny’ -

Participants didn’t notice that image E had been made shorter, thought that

D and E were very similar.

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Series 3

-

Participants think image B is the original.

-

All participants think it could be image 3 but then realise ‘they would have

cut her tummy off’.

-

Back looks too arched and edited on image B

2. What do you understand about body ideals?

-

Participants pointed out that the ideals perceived by you, peers, the media

and society in general can be different and hard to distinguish.

-

Ideal in the current day is to have a ‘big ass as well as be skinny’

-

Ideals have changed from being very skinny in the 1990s. e.g. Kate Moss

and the super models look were in style.

-

Body ideals change depending on which celebrities are popular for example

Kim Kardashian and Iggy Azalea.

-

There is also an ideal to be curvy; skinny shaming girls who aren’t.

-

Don’t experience peer pressure from friends but there is pressure to be

athletically thin with small waist and toned.

3. What is your opinion on fashion publication creating levels of selfobjectification?

-

Magazines show ‘skinny girls’.

-

Even though magazines say ‘it’s ok to be curvy’ the models are still very

thin; don’t represent the message they portraying.

-

Mascara product advertisements have to say when they have used false

eyelashes but companies don’t say when they have been Photoshopped; that would be appreciated.

-

Beyoncé and Justin Beiber’s Calvin Klein untouched images revealed;

shows level of Photoshop for celebrities but people don’t realise how much is Photoshopped.

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-

Everyone knows things are Photoshopped don’t know the extent; this can

be dangerous for girls that are 14 or 15 years old, who it affects the most.

-

The worst thing is when they are trying to advertise normal healthy natural

appearances, yet show the same body ideals; not representative.

-

Can believe it causes anorexia in teens.

-

Still feel like they definitely compare themselves to images in magazines

and other people around them; ‘what else are you meant to compare it to.’

4. Do you feel if more companies didn’t use Photoshop or used a label stating Photoshop was used, it would decrease levels of self-objectification?

-

Wouldn’t make that much difference, because the companies are still

saying the image is Photoshopped.

-

‘If they are going to Photoshop and say it’s been Photoshopped there isn’t

much point; it’s as if they are saying its Photoshopped but you should still need to look like this.’

-

Participants pointed out that a lot of it isn’t Photoshop; its clever lighting and

make up and stylists etc. Companies can get around not using Photo editing with other tactics.

Strengths of the focus group were that participants were open for a discussion of their personal feelings towards self-objectification and brought more than one opinion to the discussion providing interesting data. A weakness could be that within the image selecting exercise, the images could have been ordered in a different way; it could be said that participants chose image A at some points because they thought that was the ‘smallest’ model so was the correct answer.

Another way in which the focus group could have been different if it was to be carried out again is that when undertaking the image selection, participants would have an allotted amount of time to make their decision and within this they aren’t allowed to discuss their decisions until after the exercise; this would have allowed for more unique answers that hadn’t been affected by other opinions.

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5.0

Discussion of results

The following information is an in-depth discussion and analysis of the data received throughout the methodologies; this will provide insight and understanding to the results.

5.1

Questionnaire

The full questionnaire and responses can be seen in Appendix G. The questionnaire started by asking the participants age; 35.6% of participants were 21-15, 20% were age 16/20 and 11.1% were 50+. Throughout the rest of the questionnaire, the only answer that drastically varied with age was the choice of preferred magazines. Participants 41+ tended to choose magazines such as Woman’s Own, Ok! And HELLO! Whilst participants 16-41 would be most likely to read Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Elle; this is what was predicted and hoped for when implementing the question. Although there was a contrast within the magazines that the younger and older participants read, the issue of body ideals and self-objectification were still relevant and characterised throughout the answers in the rest of the questionnaire; for example, participants from each age group showed an understanding of what Photoshop was used for within fashion magazines, and they generally understood that people may feel self-conscious when looking at unachievable body ideals.

A difference in age was appropriate when analysing whether participants compared themselves to the images found in fashion publications; from the results it is clear to see a distinct difference is age groups. Participants aged 16-35 showed a high percentage of comparing themselves, this contrast the results from ages 41-50+ who showed a much lower percentage; this was also predicted to happen, as it is possible to believe younger generations are exposed to many more platforms that host images that create self-objectification; the magazines they read may contain more examples of photo editing as they are more fashion orientated. The fact that the results show a higher percentage of younger 38

participants showing comparison to images informs further research into body comparison; the main age group of any further investigations should focus on ages 15-35.

The questionnaire then asked participants to state their gender; this was done to specify whether responses were from females or males. Although the percentage of males that took part was very little (9%), this still provided significant information on differences between male and female views. This question is most relevant to question 7 as it is plausible to believe that men are not as pressured by fashion publications as women are. Responses such as ‘If people understand that it is a business and know that it is unrealistic, they should be able to be comfortable in their own skin.’, ‘Can I just say they are not unrealistic and bodies like this can be found in any gym. They are very sexy but different shape bodies can also be found at the gym and equally sexy’ and ‘I don't think they should feel anything other than "that's a nice dress"’ show a lack of concern and compassion; this could be due to a lack of knowledge of body ideals and self-objectification within fashion publications. Another instance where the results from males showed significant difference to females is when asked whether they felt as if they compared themselves to the types of images found in publications; 65% of men responded with ‘No’, whilst just 45% of women said ‘No’, this shows a difference in behaviour when viewing body ideals; this response was expected when designing the questionnaire. The theory that males are less pressured by fashion publications is an interesting concept, and will be studied further within this investigation.

Following the question looking into gender, participants were then asked to state which magazines they would be most likely to read/buy; as stated earlier the highest scoring magazines were Cosmopolitan, Vogue and OK!. These three magazines cover a full range of publications from high fashion to gossip magazines; this was hoped for when designing the question as it allowed for the confirmation of different magazine preferences within the participants. This question was designed to reveal whether participants had any interest in the fashion publication industry; it was thought that participants that chose high end magazines such as L’Officiel, i-D and Vogue would have a higher interest, and participants that chose magazines such as HELLO!, Heat and OK! would have a 39

lower interest into fashion publications; it’s possible to predict this based solely on the content of the magazines.

Next, the results from the question investigating the representation of body sizes revealed the responses which were hoped for; 72.2% of participants chose image 3, this image was chosen to represent and promote a full range of body sizes and shapes; responses such as ‘There's varied sizes, which represents society’, ‘Everyones shape and size is different, its a real view on figures.’ and ‘All shapes and sizes, makes me feel comfortable to look at and not under pressure or uncomfortable about my body shape.’ all back up the conclusion from The Real Truth About Beauty study which revealed 75% of women wanted the media to do ‘a better job of portraying women of diverse physical attractiveness’ i.e. age, shape and size ( Etcoff et al., 2004). In contrast, 21.1% of participants chose image 1, see appendix; when they were asked to explain their choice, responses revealed that they associated a thin body shape with fashion; ‘I know it's bad to associate high fashion with more slender bodied models but it's as though the clothes are designed to be more fitting and look better on thinner people.’, ‘That is what a fashion magazine should look like.’ And ‘It relates to fashion more. I think fashion is different for what women normally do. The third one is more like a women magazine, not a fashion one.’ although this wasn’t what was wanted when planning the question, it was inevitably going to be a popular image as people are used to seeing these types of images in fashion publications. Finally 6.7% of participants chose image 2, which showed a ‘plus size’ model, see appendix, this was chosen as a contrast to image 1 and received positive responses such as ‘She looks natural and confident’, ‘It is more close to our real life.’ and her features aren't Photoshopped’, these results go towards proving that people want to see natural images in fashion publications. See appendix C for more information on this question.

Although this question was successful in providing results in relation to the need of a wider representation of women within fashion publications which was the main objectives of the questionnaire and showed a full range of opinions, there could have been more examples of different types of images; this would have provided a more varied pool of results.

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Questions 5 and 6 were designed to gain an insight into participant knowledge of Photoshop and how they believe publications use the programme; 63.3% of participants had used Photoshop before, and 36.7% had not, this means most participants have a general understanding of the programme. It was predicted that younger participants would have most experience with Photoshop which was proved right as participants that answers ‘Yes’ to having used Photoshop before were 43.9% aged 21.25 and 29.8% 16-20, this is possibly due to a high number of participants being design students as it was sent out to the University of Leeds design school. This could be seen as an advantage to the results as they will be more informed, but it would have been interesting to get a wide range of participants showing the experience with Photoshop. Answers to question 6 that questions whether participants understand Adobe’s description of Photoshop and to give their own description on how fashion publications use them were mostly similar; they generally state that Photoshop is used to edit models size, shape and removing blemishes; participants also wrote that they understand Photoshop to be used for lighting and compositional issues too, most responses seemed informed due to participant’s past experience with Photoshop.

The final questions are based on the concepts of body ideals and selfobjectification, participants were asked to view a number of images found in fashion publications and were asked whether they believe fashion publications create unrealistic body ideals; 87.6% of participants answered ‘Yes’, with just 12.4% answering ‘No’; this is strong evidence that unrealistic body ideals are recognised by the public. Although 87.6% of participants believed fashion publications portray unrealistic body ideals, just 53.5% of participants claim to compare themselves to images in fashion publications; this was an unexpected result which could be due to the wording of the question or to participants not realising they compare their own bodies as it may be a subconscious reaction.

The majority of results from the final question that queries how participants they/others may feel after viewing images in magazines that portray unrealistic body ideals state that it will affect people’s confidence with one response stating ‘it affects my own body image and now I have bdd’; BDD is Body Dysmorphic Disorder in which creates the tendency to ‘check their appearance repeatedly and try to camouflage or alter the defects they see, often undergoing needless 41

cosmetic treatments.’ (BBD foundation, no date) Although most responses show an understanding that body ideals can cause self-objectification, there are some answers that contrast to these; ‘No difference, unless you are easily influenced’, ‘If people understand that it is a business and know that it is unrealistic, they should be able to be comfortable in their own skin.’ And ‘I think we all realise that the women in the adverts are not a real representation of the average figure in the actual world.’

In conclusion, the questionnaire provided results which support the hypothesis that participants would agree that unrealistic body ideals are created in fashion publications and that participants understood the effects of unrealistic body ideals.

From the questionnaire, the next part of the study will be an investigation into photo editing through the lifetime of Photoshop; this will investigate any change in the use of Photoshop over the past 25 years, to change the levels of body ideals.

5.2

Archive investigation

The experiment began by looking at the advertisements in issues of L’Officiel dating from 1991.From looking at these issues, there was clear evidence of photo editing being carried out, but still many blemishes and imperfections remained on the models. Imperfections such as dark circles under eyes, visible veins, winkles, uneven skin tones and blemishes on face and legs were still visible to the reader; these are examples that are rarely seen in the current day. Many images were very soft and low resolution, this could be down the lack of detail that is wanted in the images; on the other hand it could be due to technical advances in photography and printing, there is a clear difference is image quality. It could be said that the contrast in the amount of photo editing on blemishes, wrinkles and veins and matters of that ilk could be due to Photoshop being released in 1990 and as these magazines were dated mid-1991, it is possible that Photoshop wasn’t commercially used within fashion publications at this date; therefore, there was less pressure to create and conform to strict body ideals.

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Within the magazines dated throughout the late 1990’s there were still some hints of the same natural feel in the early 1990’s publications, yet the majority of advertisements were drastically different. The main variances that could be seen within the older magazines, were the model’s skin was much smoother and given an even tone, minimal wrinkles and blemishes. These differences may be due to the rise in the use of Photoshop as it became more commercial within the fashion industry. Although the women were noticeably edited, the male models that were seen in the later magazines seemed to have not been edited as much as the women, or at all; they appeared to have wrinkles, blemishes and oily skin. The fact that the male models were seemingly unedited raises the question as to why only women were facing such unachievable body ideals, yet males weren’t.

Although the magazines that have been analysed were published more that fifteen years ago, the idea that men and women are subjected to different beauty standards can be reflected within the results from the questionnaire. From the results of the questionnaire it is possible to say that men don’t feel the pressure and self-objectification levels as women do after viewing images in fashion publications; this is reflected in personal answers from males such as ‘Can I just say they are not unrealistic and bodies like this can be found in any gym. They are very sexy but different shape bodies can also be found at the gym and equally sexy’, ‘If people understand that it is a business and know that it is unrealistic, they should be able to be comfortable in their own skin.’ And ‘I don't think they should feel anything other than "that's a nice dress"’ these responses suggest that they haven’t had as much experience of viewing body ideals that create selfobjectification as women do.

Within the recent magazines that were studied, there were explicit examples of Photoshopping. The most recent magazines showed images of celebrities and models that had significant adjustments made to their physical appearance; such as veins in arms removed, wrinkles removed, they showed no signs of blemishes or imperfections and their skin is perfectly smooth and even toned. This is a huge contrast to what was found in the magazines dating back to 1991; although it isn’t certain that Photoshop is the only reason for the changes, it is very plausible to suggest that the use of Photoshop has encouraged beauty standards portrayed in magazines to become increasingly unrealistic.

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To summarise, the images found in the magazines dating from 1991 had significantly less evidence of Photoshopping and portrayed much more realistic body ideals; although, the models used are still very much unlike what the average reader may look like. Jumping forward to the images found in magazines from the present day, images were much more refined and flawless; this evidence shows an increase in the use of Photoshop, revealing a possible reason for high levels of self-objectification.

5.3

Focus group

The focus group consisted of 6 females aged 21-23; all of the participants were design students which provided a result that was informed by past experience with Photoshop.

The focus group started with the participants choosing which they thought was an original advertisement taken from a fashion publications and then choosing which they thought was the most realistic body image that represents women; this was supported by discussion, the discussion allowed for answers to be debated before finalising.

Within the first series of images shown, participants stated that image A, the unedited image, was the original; this was predicted, as it was expected that participants would select the image where the model appeared thinnest, because they are used to seeing images of very thin models in magazines. One participant noticed that image B had a larger ‘thigh gap’ (the space between the upper thighs), faults with photo editing on models thigh gaps is a common mistake often seen within the media showing extreme uses of Photoshop; this showed that the participants were viewing the images in a critical manner. They then stated that they thought Image D is the most realistic to women’s bodies; this was reflected within the results as all but one participant selected image D as the most realistic image. The only other participant chose image A as the most realistic image; this is interesting, as this participant chose image B as the original image showing that they thought the original was larger than the most realistic image.

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Throughout series 2, 50% of participants thought image D was the original image; image D had been made larger and legs made shorter, meaning participants didn’t realise these slight changed made to the models appearance, with this in mind it is questionable as to why fashion publications show images of extremely Photoshopped images when it isn’t always noticed if an images has been or not.

Some results revealed the possibility that models aren’t representative to people’s perceptions, for example 33% of participants chose image C as the original image, this shows that participants thought the original image should have been one image bigger than the original was. This data backs up the results from the questionnaire which states that 88.9% of female participants think that fashion publications portray unrealistic body ideal; with both of these pieces of data together it can be said that unrealistic body ideals are portrayed in fashion publications.

Participants then went onto state that they all believed image C was the most realistic body image; this reveals that young women believe images taken from fashion publications aren’t representative of the images they think is realistic or they would want to see in fashion publications; this supports the data from Dove’s ‘The Real Truth About Beauty’ (2004) that states that 75% of women wish that ‘The media did a better job of portraying women of diverse physical attractiveness’ i.e. age, shape and size ( Etcoff et al., 2004).

During series 3 of the image selection exercise, 50% of participants chose image B as the original advertisement; this is interesting as image B was made to loo smaller than the original, this proves the prediction that participants would expect the models to look very thin and more be inclined to choose the smaller models.

33% of participants correctly chose image C as the original advertisement and 17% choosing image A which was made extremely thin, this also backs up the theory that participants would choose the thin images as they are used to seeing images of very thin models in advertisements. By participants choosing images that have been made smaller than the original, it can be said that it is expected that models are very thin and although it can be said these types of images cause self-objectification, they don’t anticipate seeing a body size that represents something close to their body shape.

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When choosing which image they believe to be a realistic body image, 100% of participants chose image C, the original advertisement, this provides a contrast to series 1 and 2 where almost all participants chose the images where the model had been made larger.

Participants were then asked to discuss their thoughts and understanding of body ideals. Throughout the discussion the most relevant point that they put forwards was the idea that body ideals have changed since the 1990’s; from when the super model aesthetic was very popular with icons such as Kate Moss, contrasting to certain body ideals in the current day which demand an athletic, toned body with visible curves, body images from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Iggy Azalea were mentioned. They point out that the pressure to be curvy yet thin and toned is very hard to achieve; this is representative of the point that body ideals are mostly unachievable for young women. Within the same point, participants stated that with the ideal to be curvy, a number of people undergo ‘skinny shaming’ where thin people are made to feel shamed for having a thin body shape; the contrast in ideals from the pressure to be thin to the pressure to have curves highlights the changing standards of beauty and in turn the tension women undergo to conform.

The focus group then went onto question how fashion publications create selfobjectification; participants stated that magazines show skinny girls along with making claims such as ‘it’s ok to be curvy’, participants felt as if they don’t represent the messages they are aiming for. They then went onto discuss how people don’t realise the extent to which images are Photoshopped and believe it can be dangerous for teenagers to see images that aren’t true to reality; this is the response that was hoped for when planning the focus group that participants would understand the issues fashion publications create just by using Photoshop.

The main point that came from this question came up when participants began discussing before and after picture that have been released of celebrities such as Beyoncé and Justin Bieber; this images show the extent to which images are edited, and despite this they still compare themselves to the images because they are being told this is what they should look like, one participant asked ‘what else are you meant to compare it (your body) to?’. The fact that participants felt as if

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they compared themselves to fashion publications gives significant data to suggest that there is a level of comparison for young women.

The final question investigates participants thoughts on companies not using Photoshop, or using the Heroes for Advertising label to show that a models appearance has been edited; the participants concluded that it wouldn’t make much difference to the levels of self-objectification caused by fashion publications because even though they are making it known that they have been edited, the advertisers are still saying ‘this is Photoshopped, but this is what you should look like’. Participants showed an understanding of self-objectification and could understand how not using Photoshop can help towards lowering levels of selfobjectification but they also know that there are more aspects to making an image look perfect, for example clever lighting and make up; they stated this is a way companies can get around not using Photoshop yet still having images of women that look perfect.

In conclusion, the focus group confirmed the expectation that body ideals within fashion publications aren’t representative to what young women see as a realistic body image, with just 17% of results showing that participants thought the original image was the same as the most realistic body image; general thoughts that images within fashion publications are realistic are supported by the questionnaire results that are aimed at body ideals. Within the discussion, participant’s views were in line with what was expected to be said; even though they understand fashion publications use Photoshop they still compared their bodies to the images they see in fashion publications. On the other hand, they stated that the Heroes for Advertising pledge is counterintuitive so probably wouldn’t help to lower selfobjectification.

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6.0

Conclusion

This study has investigated the ways in which fashion publications use photo editing software such as Photoshop to create body ideals for women and the consequent result of self-objectification; results from the research methods suggest there is a correlation between self-objectification and body ideals portrayed in fashion publications. The data revealed an increase in the use of photo editing within fashion publications since the release of Photoshop in 1990; this result supports the theory that Photoshop has had a significant impact on the use of photo editing in fashion publications since it was released.

Responses from the questionnaire were reinforced within the focus group, which stated that there is a need for a range of body images within fashion publications.

It is clear from the research methods that women think fashion publications create body ideals in which they compare themselves to; proving fashion publications create levels of self-objectification.

The focus group disregarded certain efforts such as the Heroes for Advertising label to lower self-objectification through body ideals, as it would be illogical to state something has been Photoshopped and would still feel as if they were pressured by the edited images. To work further towards lowering levels of selfobjectification more concepts, such as pledges to stop using Photoshop to edit models’ appearances and the Heroes for Advertising label need to be introduced to mainstream media. Despite the results from the focus group, it can’t be said that the group speaks for the whole of society. Throughout the investigation, teenagers and young women stood out as the most affected by body ideals and suffered the highest amount of self-objectification; another way in which self-objectification can be lowered is fashion publications refuse to host images that have been editing to levels that could be damaging to teenagers and young women.

Limitations of this investigation may include a lack of diversity within participants that carried out the questionnaire and focus group; all of the focus group participants were design students, white and aged 21-23, if the study had a more diverse group of participants they may have provided more varied data.

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6.1

Areas for further study

If this study was to be continued, more diverse demographics of participants for questionnaires and focus groups should be undertaken. Further investigations into other campaigns, labels and brands that support and endorse the use of nonPhotoshopped imagery would also benefit this study in the future, to work towards lowering levels of self-objectification. An interesting method of research that could further benefit this investigation would be a longitudinally study to provide data over a number of years to track any changes in photo editing and selfobjectification.

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8.0 Appendix Appendix A – details on age within the questionnaire Although it is more likely for a younger generation to be more informed about the use of Photoshop and photo editing than an older generation, it cannot be assumed that one generation will be more or less effected by the use of Photoshop, than another generation; this is because the amount of interest in this subject matter will vary from person to person due to their personal social standing such as their occupation. Consequently, the views of different generations are significant to the study because it gives the prospect to reveal any differences in opinions relating to photo editing and self-esteem and may reveal and generational gaps.

The age groups will be defined by a 5 year age range; this will allow for the results to give a clear idea of the ages responding as the range isn’t too board. The use of small age groups in Credos’ ‘Pretty as a Picture’ investigation (Credos, 2011) showed how it can be advantageous when analysing results, as it is possible to suggest why certain age groups have provided such results; social standing and pressures on certain age groups are the main elements that may affect results.

Depending on the results of this question, and the numbers for each group, age groups may be combined when discussed to provide a more concise analysis, on the other hand some age groups may be disregarded altogether if they fail to produce any data. As most of the information collected throughout the literature review is based on findings for young adults and adolescents, it will be interesting to be able to review results from participants that are a range of ages.

Appendix B - details on magazine choice within the questionnaire The question will deliberately list a range of magazines in no specific order as not to sway the participants’ perceptions of what the ‘right’ answer might be. Within this question, magazines such as Vogue and Elle have been chosen to offer well known, commercial fashion magazines, these will appeal to participants that have an interest in fashion, but who may not experiment with more sophisticated magazines such as I-D and L’Officiel. Publications such as Red, In-Style and WomensOwn have been selected as these are aimed at an older audience than the magazines previously mentioned, it is predicted that the older participants will 57

select these and the results will maybe show a difference to those that chose magazines such as i-D. The inclusion of Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines give the participants the option to choose a magazine that is based on high street fashion as well as beauty and gossip. HELLO! and Ok! magazines were included in this question as they are celebrity entertainment magazines with little fashion material involved, the reason for them being an option in this question is because they are a very popular magazine aimed at a wide age range and bought by a broad demographic. According to HELLO! Magazine ‘HELLO! reaches 1.1 million adults in the UK every week.’ with 90% of their readers are female. (HELLO!, 2014). The majority of their readers are aged 15-54, with a much smaller percentage being over 55 (HELLO!, 2014). OK! Magazine has 4389 adult (aged 15+) readers per month, with 3771 of them being women (National Readership Survey, 2014).

Appendix C – details on preferred models used in fashion publications Participants will be asked to give personal answers to the questions asked relating to the methodology topic as many of the questions don’t allow for ambiguity.

The work with the All Walks Beyond the Catwalk initiative that aims to create an ‘initiative challenging the fashion industry’s dependence on unachievable and unhealthy body ideals’ (Edinburgh College of Art, 2013) has informed the need to investigate preferences in size and if the public want to see a full representation of body sizes and shapes within fashion publications. As with earlier questions, the images would be arranged in a non-chronological order as not to sway participant’s opinions on preferred sizes and to not encourage answers that are morally correct, but in the hopes to get an honest response.

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Image 1 from questionnaire.

Dajana Antic for Dress to Kill, 2014.

Image 2 from questionnaire.

Nadia Aboulhosn, Dusty while and blue, 2014

Image 3 from questionnaire.

Natural modelling agency, 2012.

59

Appendix D – expansion of asking participants about how they/others may feel after viewing body ideals in fashion publications.

This question has many aspects that may be considered when analysing the answers, such as: -

Did they compare themselves to the models?

-

Has frequently viewing images similar to those resulted in them becoming

desensitised?

-

Do they actually understand the harm that can be caused in relation to self-

objectification?

-

Is this answer honest?

By asking questions like these during the analysis of results, it allows for a more in depth discussion of different individuals answers, rather than providing a collective discussion of all participant’s responses.

Nicole Kidman for Jimmy Choo, 2014.

Christiano Ronaldo and Megan Fox for Emorpio Armani Photoshopped image, 2010

60

Karlie Kloss for Numero Magazine, 2012

61

Appendix E – information on how the focus group has been designed and how it will be carried out The participants in the focus group are all within the age group 21-25; this will be most relevant and beneficial to the investigation as this was the age group that showed the highest percentage of comparing themselves to images in fashion publications. As all of the participants are design students, they will be able to give informed answers surrounding the fashion industry and have an understanding of Photoshop.

Images will be labelled alphabetically and participants will be asked to discuss the images using these titles so it is clear which image they are discussing when recording. The images have been edited in two of the three series to look smaller as well as larger than the original image; this was done as it is predicted that participants may choose the smallest image as the image that was taken from a fashion publication because they think it is the ‘right’ answer for the focus group, but providing an image which is smaller than the original it is possible to create interesting results.

62

63

64

65

When the participants are being informed on different brands pledging to not use Photoshop to edit their models appearance and about the Truth in Advertising campaign they will be given a hand out with information, images and questions on to ensure all participants can view all the material thoroughly and equally; this also ensures they can gain an understanding into the companies; these can be seen below.

66

1.

Please state which image you think is the original advertisement and

which you think is the most realistic body image. (please write letter in boxes)

Original advertisement

Realistic body image

Series 1 Series 2 Series 3

2.

What do you understand about body ideals? (Please discuss)

3.

Self-objectification: the action of viewing one’s self as others may view

them, in a way that questions their physical appearance e.g. ‘Do I look good enough? Am I thin enough?

-

What is your opinion on fashion publications creating levels of self-

objectification? (Please discuss)

4.

Please look at the images on the additional page; these are taken from

magazines and brands that don’t use Photoshop to edit their models.

The Truth in Advertising pledge states that companies which use Photoshop to edit their models appearance must ‘add a “Truth In Advertising” label to these

ads to ensure consumers, in particular children and teens, do not confuse an advertising “ideal” with what’s real’.

-

Do you feel that if more companies promised to not use Photoshop, or

used the “Truth in Advertising” label on their adverts, then it would help towards eradication self-objectification caused by fashion publications?(Please discuss) 67

Appendix F- more information on the report of questionnaire results

Results relating to age, gender, having past experience of Photoshop, comparing their bodies to images found in fashion publications and if they thought fashion publications portrayed unrealistic body images have been discussed as these results have been chosen as it was expected to be able to see a positive correlation between this subjects; from the results, it is possible to say that there was.

The results have been broken down into female and male to show any differences in preferences of images seen in fashion publications, their opinions on if they think unrealistic body ideals are portrayed by these publications and their views on how people can feel after viewing them images. The results were also broken down into age groups that provided the most results; ages 16-20, 21-25 and 50+; these age groups were expected to show a contrast in views and differences in their understanding and level of experience on Photoshop. It was relevant to separate the results that came from participants that had used Photoshop before and those that hadn’t; this was to distinguish the informed answers in terms of technical knowledge, from the answers that were assumed from just simply viewing images in magazines and other social influences.

The results were then also split up into the results from participants that answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you think fashion publications portray unrealistic body ideals’ and participants that answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you feel as if you compare yourself to these types of images found in fashion publications?’, this was to conclude which age groups and genders are most affected by the images in fashion publications and whether although participants knew the body ideals they view are unrealistic, if they still compare themselves to the images they are viewing.

Appendix G – Questionnaire and results (commencement on following page)

68

The use of Photoshop in fashion publications and the effects it has on readers Showing 90 of 90 responses Showing all responses Showing all questions

1

Age

18 (20%)

16-20

32 (35.6%)

21-25 7 (7.8%)

26-30

6 (6.7%)

31-35 36-40

5 (5.6%)

41-45

5 (5.6%) 7 (7.8%)

46-50

10 (11.1%)

50+

2

Gender

Female

82 (91.1%)

Male Other

3

8 (8.9%) 0

Please indicate which magazines you read the most/ would be most likely to buy

1 / 15

26 (13.8%)

Vogue 21 (11.2%)

Elle 3 (1.6%)

Red

10 (5.3%)

i-D

18 (9.6%)

Glamour

19 (10.1%)

HELLO! 6 (3.2%)

InStyle

19 (10.1%)

Heat L’OfďŹ ciel

0 28 (14.9%)

Cosmopolitan 14 (7.4%)

WomensOwn

24 (12.8%)

OK!

4

Please select which type of image(s) you would prefer to see in fashion publications (Please consider body shapes) Image 1 Image 2 Image 3

Image 1 Image 2

19 (21.1%) 6 (6.7%)

Image 3

4.a

65 (72.2%)

Please state why you chose that image Showing all 90 responses more generic body image

59080-59074-3112503

fashion forward yet 'healthy' figure

59080-59074-3112596

Women of varied shapes/sizes/ethnicities & I actually want what they're wearing

59080-59074-3112574

Natural women

59080-59074-3112712

Looks more natural than the other two. The first girl looks like Barbie she looks plastic and too skinny. The second girl looks sad. The third is a group of girls all different sizes and they look like they're having fun.

59080-59074-3112850

I do think that such bodies show off clothes best even though this one's a little too skinny perhaps

59080-59074-3112863

Look normal women and all smiling unlike others who look miserable

59080-59074-3112914

aethetically appealing

59080-59074-3112941

It is more close to our real life.

2 / 15

59080-59074-3112948

It is more close to our real life.

59080-59074-3112948

I know it's bad to associate high fashion with more slender bodied models but it's as though the clothes are designed to be more fitting and look better on thinner people.

59080-59074-3112985

Everyones shape and size is different, its a real view on figures.

59080-59074-3112714

It appears to cover all body sizes and is not specific to one body type.

59080-59074-3113006

I think that all body types should be featured in magazines not just smaller women or larger as it is unfair to shame skinnier women as this may be their natural figure.

59080-59074-3113012

There's varied sizes, which represents society

59080-59074-3113057

I like the separate sides of realistic and magazines

59080-59074-3113172

Represents diversity

59080-59074-3113252

She looks natural and confident

59080-59074-3113105

Because it would be a refreshing change from what is currently seen in magazines, which I think has now become both image one and two. Image three is the only one that shows a range of women and is the closest of the three to reflecting the reality of the female form.

59080-59074-3113206

Different range of shapes.

59080-59074-3113381

I don't agree with one or two... I think fashion magazines need to be careful to not just show the two extremes but to show a variety... being overweight is as problematic as being underweight and fashion magazines need to be really careful to not promote the idea that it is okay to be overweight either... this is coming from someone who has been described as the 'ideal weight for her height' by her doctor, just to add context

59080-59074-3113530

Although the model is very slim I like the composition of the image better and it displays a much more high fashion aspect like I would expect to see in the types of magazines I enjoy reading

59080-59074-3113595

The girls have realistic natural figures, none of them are unhealthily thin or fat

59080-59074-3113955

Stereo model type.

59080-59074-3114255

variety, encourages individuality, happy/fun

59080-59074-3114283

Range of body types and confident women

59080-59074-3114825

There is a mixture of body shapes and sizes rather than one from either end of the scale.

59080-59074-3115022

The fashion and styling was stronger.

59080-59074-3115469

It shows a range of body sizes

59080-59074-3115501

It reflects that all sizes can be beautiful

59080-59074-3115673

Seems higher fashion.

Better fashion photography skills

59080-59074-3115746

her features aren't photoshopped

59080-59074-3116106

because it looks more realistic and more like me

59080-59074-3118064

The choice of clothing, the professional quality of the photo

59080-59074-3118084

Not too slim and not fat just in the middle also it has different body shapes

59080-59074-3118286

The image shows a variety of sizes showing that there is more than one ideal size for a woman.

59080-59074-3118793

I chose image 1 because fashion publications mostly write about clothes as 'art' rather than stuff 3 / 15

59080-59074-3112978

I chose image 1 because fashion publications mostly write about clothes as 'art' rather than stuff you actually wear. e.g. Vogue. So image 1 is the 'norm' for publications which cover over-the-top fashion shows and we have gotten used to it. The size of the model don't matter, or at least it shouldn't, but the use of professional lighting and props is. But for clothes I would like to see on advertisements that I would actually buy, I would go for image 3.

59080-59074-3112978

In the third image, it displays the clothes (or bikinis) in an environment for what it's intended to be used for so it seems more realistic. You would see girls having fun on the beach in real life but you wouldn't see someone sitting down like in the first photo because the position is very unnatural- she looks like she's leaning forward or has an awkwardly-bent spine (bad photoshopping). If winter clothes were being advertised then I'd expect the models to be walking in the snow, not whatever the model is doing in image 1. The third image also promotes different body types and ethnicities, which is a plus.

Honestly, all models work hard whether they are thin, normal or plus-size. We should look past that and concentrate on the clothes, not slag them off for being too skinny and unrealistic or too fat and unhealthy.

It shows that everyone is different but at the same time size not a reflection of how beautiful somebody is

59080-59074-3118961

Because it implies to the reader that bodies come in all shapes and sizes and should be recognised

59080-59074-3119305

happy to see women happy with their own bodies that are real

59080-59074-3119263

Actually either 2 or 3 - more realisitic to life

59080-59074-3121681

a better model.

59080-59074-3121702

Different body shapes and sizes, realistic, people can relate

59080-59074-3121717

All shapes and sizes, makes me feel comfortable to look at and not under pressure or uncomfortable about my body shape.

59080-59074-3121761

Normal size/shaped women in norman bthing suits.

59080-59074-3121798

It's a mix of both body shapes.

59080-59074-3121889

Attention is drawn to the clothes rather than the model, high fashion models signify a high quality brand.

59080-59074-3121774

More variety, more representative and realistic

59080-59074-3121894

A true mixture of the public

59080-59074-3121908

Normal women having fun

59080-59074-3128701

A variety of sizes of women - not everyone is the same size/shape.

59080-59074-3128704

They look "Normal "size people

59080-59074-3128764

A natural mix of normal looking ladies!

59080-59074-3128774

It show how the normal girl looks not an image of a unrealistic body type which no matter how hard to try you will never look that good in that dress and in real life neither does she

59080-59074-3128800

As a photographer, although I see beauty in all shapes, unfortunately, sex sells.

59080-59074-3128811

Good mix of different girls, enjoying a good time. V happy photo

59080-59074-3130377

Different range of shapes

59080-59074-3130715

4 / 15

The women look happy, healthy and that's how I want to see myself

59080-59074-3130705

A wider range of women

59080-59074-3130816

Although there's nothing wrong with #2 either, the poor lady in the first picture looks like she could do with a few good meals. Impossibly skinny legs are in no way attractive.

59080-59074-3131092

Various body shapes

59080-59074-3131437

Because it shows a range of body shapes, which are all actually believable/realistic.

59080-59074-3131496

Normal siz

59080-59074-3131772

The woman in image two is normal, natural and has a medium (normal) figure.

59080-59074-3131773

They are most relevant to real life and show girls that all body shapes are acceptable. The first image makes you feel inadequate and it is an unachievable body for real women with full time jobs. The first and second images are not healthy body weights.

59080-59074-3132000

Real looking girls of all shapes and sizes

59080-59074-3132258

Looks natural

59080-59074-3132310

Includes all shapes and sizes

59080-59074-3132439

I like the different shapes and mixture of ladies.

59080-59074-3132547

They look like normal women

59080-59074-3133795

I chose it because the girls are all different shapes and sizes, however the staging of image one is obviously much more in keeping with fashion specific magazines, it's not an issue with skinny girls it's an issue with magazines pretending no other sizes exist. Any of those girls could look just as amazing in a similar shoot to image one but it's become an expectation that high fashion is portrayed in a certain way with a certain sized model

59080-59074-3133896

Range of body shapes

59080-59074-3132550

All spectrums covered

59080-59074-3134686

colerfull,different characters and a happy picture

59080-59074-3135110

A mixture of true sizes

59080-59074-3136933

Variety.

59080-59074-3139247

Image looks more high fashion and focuses more on the clothes. Other images you look at body shape as its different from the normal model body shape, this then distracts from the clothing

59080-59074-3139718

More balanced in term of body type

59080-59074-3140545

Fashionable and Chic

59080-59074-3140871

That is what a fashion magazine should look like.

59080-59074-3141399

i think more people can relate to it..more realistic

59080-59074-3142543

A mix of body shapes and sizes

59080-59074-3168935

Because it represents all body types and considers all different types of women.

59080-59074-3277653

It just feels like more professionally taken/edited.

59080-59074-3293851

Natural sizes not too small like a skeleton

59080-59074-3324065

5 / 15

5

Full range of sizes

59080-59074-3324609

It relates to fashion more. I think fashion is different for what women normally do. The third one is more like a women magazine, not a fashion one.

59080-59074-3324946

Realistic body shapes and sizes

59080-59074-3330674

It shows a variety of different women- different body types and ethnic backgrounds

59080-59074-3331008

a range of shapes sizes and ethnicities

59080-59074-3334182

realistic image of women

59080-59074-3334206

Have you used Photoshop before?

Yes

57 (63.3%)

No

6

33 (36.7%)

Adobe describe the use of Photoshop as 'Image editing and compositing' Please state whether you understand this and how you think fashion publications use Photoshop to edit their images.

Showing all 90 responses fashion publications use photo shop to make models look perfect and unrealistic

59080-59074-3112503

I understand this and believe fashion publications use it in too major cases

59080-59074-3112596

Varies from getting rid of "imperfections", such a blemishes, uneven skin tone, to mutating the original image; creating curves in some places and reducing in others. Putting sparkle on jewellery is an odd one.

59080-59074-3112574

Publications use photo shop to make the negatives about someone look like positives

59080-59074-3112712

Pass

59080-59074-3112850

They edit practically everything from make-up to shaping bodies and 'special effects'

59080-59074-3112863

I understand and I assume they use them to make women look more like the image they wish to portray

59080-59074-3112914

merge different elements from a range of images, enhance image quaility, use special effects ...

59080-59074-3112941

Commercial purpose.

59080-59074-3112948

I do understand this and i think fashion publications may push the boundaries when editing not only the clothes and enhancing colour etc but also with the actual models themselves, taking away blemishes, changing skin tones, elongating body parts etc

59080-59074-3112985

Editting an item does not show its true properties in my opinion. It shows what the company want you to buy.

59080-59074-3112714

I understand the concept of Photoshop and find it is very useful for editing and manipulating images, however fashion publications in general use photoshop wrongly in order to alter body

59080-59074-3113006

6 / 15

images, however fashion publications in general use photoshop wrongly in order to alter body shapes through air brushing etc, rather than simply using to enhance the image quality and rid small blemishes.

Yes, I have seen how fashion companies manipulate their photos in order to perfect the way that the models look, such as change their face, body, hair, skin and anything that they think isn't perfected.

59080-59074-3113012

I understand, they can remove blemishes and can make a person look thinner than what they are

59080-59074-3113057

briefly but they probably make a lot more changes than i realise

59080-59074-3113172

excessive airbrushing including pimples, lumps and bumps etc. Reducing size of body parts such as waist, thighs etc. Increasing size of other parts like eyes, lips, breasts sometimes etc.

59080-59074-3113252

Not sure I understand all of that description.All I know is that publications edit the images of models in the clothes to make them look better in their opinion

59080-59074-3113105

Yes I understand and I think fashion publications use it to get rid of any blemishes or marks and they use it to make the body image appear smaller/larger than it is in reality, e.g. trimming down the legs to make them slimmer or enhancing the breasts.

59080-59074-3113206

Yes, I understand this. They generally use Photoshop to slim women down even further than they need to be and to get rid of any perceived imperfections.

59080-59074-3113381

It is so widely known that fashion publications use Photoshop to create the image of an ideal woman. At the end of the day they are designing clothes and they don't want blemishes/curves to detract from the clothes, which is what they are promoting...

59080-59074-3113530

Not sure of the meaning of compositing but understand the general use of photoshop Fashion publications most likely use photoshop to remove any 'imperfections' such as skin blemishes and touch ups - I also believe some use it to distort body shapes all in an attempt to make the person and therefore the product most attractive

59080-59074-3113595

I understand that photoshop allows you to edit an manipulate images, i definitely believe most if not all publications use photoshop to airbrush and edit their images

59080-59074-3113955

Acceptable

59080-59074-3114255

making images look aesthetically more appealing (lighting, colour etc) sometimes adjusting subjects (often people and models) to make them more 'idealised' - what the general public are made to feel defines 'beauty' (often a shallow, unrealistic portrayal; especially regarding body mass, no 'imperfections', over-sexualised poses)

59080-59074-3114283

Magazines use this software to enhance the finish of fashion photographs and change colours and 'flawlessness' of both the clothes and models, sometimes to an extremely high extent

59080-59074-3114825

I understand how photoshop is described but some people don't use it in it's simplest form of editing. Such as fashion publications use photoshop to completely change what the original photo was instead of changing lighting effects etc

59080-59074-3115022

The majority of fashion images are retouched with photoshop.

59080-59074-3115469

I understand the description of photoshop- however I believe that magazines mainly use it for editing images of women to remove 'flaws' or make certain body parts bigger or smaller

59080-59074-3115501

I think I understand it, they use it to remove blemishes, make areas look bigger or small and overall more flawless.

59080-59074-3115673

Photoshopping to affect imperfections etc.

59080-59074-3115746

they change body shapes and remove imperfections to give unrealistic representations of

7 / 15

59080-59074-3116106

womens bodies i understand and think magazines photoshop to make people skinnier and look better

59080-59074-3118064

Enhancing colours, adjusting brightness shadows and to get rid of any imperfections

59080-59074-3118084

Some images are amazingly beautiful but others are too fake

59080-59074-3118286

Image editing to slim down figure and remove any skin imperfections. Also editing light, hues of skin and makeup retouching.

59080-59074-3118793

As a graphic designer, I think that description is accurate. "Image editing" just means the image can be or is being manipulated. Photoshop is just a tool; there is no right or wrong way for how it should be used. Whether it is morally acceptable or not is dependant on the individual audience or designer. Photoshop's purpose is to turn fantasy into reality; turning something into art.

Fashion publications use photoshop in accordance to their brand guidelines and what trends are 'in' at the moment.

59080-59074-3112978

In the last picture of the next question, look at the woman's left arm. Classic photoshop mistakemissing a chunk of your back. There are too many errors in that picture to even name!

Yes understand and think they use it to create what they think people consider to be the' perfect' image.

59080-59074-3118961

I understand and think that publications use it to enhance their images...ie slim down a part of a person, disguise blemishes etc

59080-59074-3119305

yes, they can delete blemishes, scars etc and make models look slimmer or bigger if required.

59080-59074-3119263

I understand the statement. I don't think images should be altered in anyway, they should be kept true to life

59080-59074-3121681

airbrushing, slimming girls etc.

59080-59074-3121702

Photoshop is used a lot in the fashion industry to edit and enhance images of models.

59080-59074-3121717

I think fashion publications take photo shop to the extreme to the point where they show unnatural representations of the model. They use it to get rid of what they see as imperfections but are what are just natural and what I prefer to see

59080-59074-3121761

Change an image to make it look better.

59080-59074-3121798

They use tools such as 'liquify' to make women look thinner, and men more masculine.

59080-59074-3121889

Yes I understand this. Fashion publications use Photoshop to edit images to decrease light determined discrepancies, such as brightness, highlighting, contrast and saturation. Fashion publications also use editing of bodily imperfections, superimposing backgrounds/text or changing colour of garments so that they are complementary.

59080-59074-3121774

I understand this and I think fashion publications use photoshop as a means of creating unrealistic representations by often creating an image that, in terms of human features and appearance, is unachievable and therefore perhaps abusive of photoshop's function

59080-59074-3121894

Yes

59080-59074-3121908

Yes

59080-59074-3128701

I understand the description - it seems that different fashion magazines use it at different points along a spectrum - some adjust lighting and minor 'blemishs' such as spots, others push this further and try to anti-age or slim the models down. Some make big Photoshop fails!

59080-59074-3128704

Understand the statement, and I think magazines use photoshop to alter many things,

59080-59074-3128764

8 / 15

Understand the statement, and I think magazines use photoshop to alter many things, backgrounds, lighting, colour and tone of skin, blemishes on skin, body size

59080-59074-3128764

Yes understood and think that magazines use the tool to enhance the image of their models.

59080-59074-3128774

Adding in a background or playing around with images in an obvious way but to show an unrealistic image which people believe to be real and aspire to is deceitful

59080-59074-3128800

I'm fully aware that as well as minor adjustments in exposure, lighting, etc often, it is used to manipulate body shapes and tones.

59080-59074-3128811

I understanding photoshop, to be enhancing. Be that in scenery shots or photos of people.

Altering colour shades, as well as shapes, and also deletion of less pleasing features.

59080-59074-3130377

Yes I think they make models slimmer and skin look flawless

59080-59074-3130715

I understand the 'Image Editing'

59080-59074-3130705

To remove blemishes and to make the 'ideal' figure that we think we should aspire to.

59080-59074-3130816

I fully understand Photoshop and the processes used by magazine. Removing blemishes, birthmarks or other natural features, emphasising or reducing curves, noses, ears, eyes and other body parts. Stretching and slimming the image to make models appear smaller, taller, thinner or curvier... Etc.

59080-59074-3131092

Don't understand it

59080-59074-3131437

Yes, I understand this.

59080-59074-3131496

Magazines use photoshop to alter images in many ways. It could be just about altering the background. But, mostly, it'll be about altering actual bodies: erasing blemishes on a face for example, making breasts bigger or smaller, changing someone's hair or gait or nose shape. They can make skin lighter, lashes thicker, etc... And it'll depend on what the fashion industry or the editorial line dictates beauty to be.

Normal size woman

59080-59074-3131772

N/A

59080-59074-3131773

Yes. Basically they take an image and edit / modify it to what they desire. This can be to make people thinner, less wrinkles, remove blemishes, air brush out cellulite etc...basically take out anything 'real'.

59080-59074-3132000

Yes. They edit them to think what they loll better and what the public want to see

59080-59074-3132258

I understand the description. I think magazines edit all photographs now and you can no longer trust that a photograph is a true liking or exact copy, they are more like paintings.

59080-59074-3132310

Making people look better by improving lighting altering body shape. Taking out blemishes.

59080-59074-3132439

they use it to correct imperfections-no one wants to see a model with a zit and that's fine.

However they also use it to alter the size of the women (and men) and make them unrealistic which I dislike.

59080-59074-3132547

I do understand this. I think magazines make women look thinner and with less lines etc.

59080-59074-3133795

Yes I understand it, I studied media at uni. I think they use photoshop more heavily than required to produce an idealised version of beauty. Beautiful women get slimmed down and their busts get increased etc. It also removes 'imperfections' to the point that everyone looks weirdly smooth...if that makes sense

59080-59074-3133896

I believe fashion publications use photoshop to make models more attractive, out of the ordinary

59080-59074-3132550

9 / 15

7

Understand and agree Fashion publications use this as they think skinny is beautiful and the ideal but not natural.

Skinny is good but also curvy is good too

59080-59074-3134686

A little bit ,I think it means an altered photo

59080-59074-3135110

To let's us hope to look like this in their clothes

59080-59074-3136933

I understand. Photoshop is used to smooth out skin, adjust tones and in extreme cases fix noses and make waists skinnier.

59080-59074-3139247

They use photoshop to enhance images/ads, making them eye catching and more visually appealing

59080-59074-3139718

Combining different images, airbrushing - smoothing out skin imperfections etc, altering curves of women's bodies and so on

59080-59074-3140545

to make models look prettier and thinner

59080-59074-3140871

They use Photoshop to edit and hide the blemishes of models and to tone their bodies giving them the perfect image of the ideal standards.

59080-59074-3141399

as far as i am aware photoshop is used to enhance or manipulate photographs to make them 'better'; this often means changing shape, skin tone etc. photoshop can also be used in more design aspects rather than just editing photography.

59080-59074-3142543

photoshoo is used to make modeks appear flawless

59080-59074-3168935

I do understand this and I think that fashion publications often misuse photoshop as they use it to create an image of a woman which is unrealistic and impossible to achieve.

59080-59074-3277653

Of course, they clean/refine images, balance colour and tone, and clean any unwanted marks/blemishes It allows the photographer to concentrate on taking the photos and not making sure every hair is perfectly in place.

59080-59074-3293851

They enhance photographs to remove imperfections

59080-59074-3324065

To trim and 'fit' photos to what they want.

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The aim of PS is to refine the pictures, so I think fashion publication use PS to edit their images is to improve the quality and beauty of the picture in order to attract audience and promote the products.

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They use photoshop to make images look perfect.

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Yes- fashion magazines use Photoshop to totally alter their images and so the end product is often unrecognisable from the original image.

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they alter images to create a 'perfect' image

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they edit photos to make the models look more attractive

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Look at these images and answer the questions below

10 / 15

Showing all 2 responses

7.a

What is this box for?

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1. too slim, 2. innappropriate, 3. airbrushed.

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Do you feel as if you compare yourself to these types of images found in fashion publications?

Yes

48 (53.3%)

No

7.b

42 (46.7%)

Do you think fashion publications portray unrealistic body ideals?

Yes No

7.c

78 (87.6%) 11 (12.4%)

How do you think you/other people may feel after viewing images in magazines that portray unrealistic body ideals?

Showing all 90 responses no self confidence

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insecure and unhealthy

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It is two sided; you think "I am not like that" not so much "I want to be like that" but because they are obviously employed as models there is the underlying idea that they are the pinnacle of good looks and body shape whether the image is true or not

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That these photos are what normal people look like

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I always feel fat and wish that I could have a body like there's. I'm sure other people do as well as you naturally compare yourself to other people.

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they might feel unhappy in their own skin, but it doesn't affect everyone.

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Not measuring up

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may affect people's confidence

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I don't trust the products in the way they show to customers.

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They might feel less confident

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Most publications show underweight/ or models under a uk size 10. This has an effect as people grow up with a false idea on what they should look like.

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11 / 15

People may feel unworthy or that they need to change their appearance in order for people to like them and be able to 'pull off' outfits

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They may feel pressure but it is the fashion industry and so it has to be realised that they are going to use smaller slimmer models to showcase their products to try and sell them, and it is the job of these models to stay slim which is more difficult in an ordinary everyday job for the most of the population.

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they want to have that body as its deemed to be the perfect body shape, I don't think its unrealistic because some people are naturally that size. its down to what is a healthy figure

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stupid levels of self doubt if they can't realise that magazine images are not natural and not what people should be aspiring to

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sad, lacking self esteem, unworthy etc.

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feel very inadequate and that you are a failure and extremely overweight and unattractive

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I think many young people (male and female), will feel worse about themselves after viewing images such as these and could lose body confidence. They might not even be consciously aware that these images have affected the way they view their bodies, as there may be no immediate sense of shame, but when they next view themselves in a photo/mirror etc, and criticise themselves, who are they comparing themselves to? Probably the general ideal set by the fashion industry and the magazines, not necessarily one celebrity or model. I think airbrushing and using body types that don't represent the full range seen in society is extremely damaging to the young generation.

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Inadequate. We have anorexia in the family and the reading of fashion mags and viewing of these images have had a negative effect on those with this condition (although it hasn't caused the condition.

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I think it is important to be informed/educated about the fact that publications use Photoshop.

Women in society are naturally going to compare themselves to these images because even in real life we compare ourselves to other women around us.

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Some may feel as if they need to change themselves to become more like the models in these images however I would say that most people are vary aware of the use of photoshop and therefore understand that this is not always achieveable - a lot of it is down to your natural body shape and frame

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I dont believe the figures are necessarily unrealistic, the bodies are attainable but I feel the bigger issue is whether they are healthy. Women can be as skinny as the models, but they're more than likely going to be extremely unhealthy.

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Diet plan arises

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often unhappy with their own bodies, and that they should somehow aspire to be like those in glamour magazines to feel more accepted

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People compare themselves to these images and do not know how much they have been edited, making them doubt themselves in their attractiveness.

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They need to be like these images represented however it is impossible without being ill or plastic surgery which isn't natural. The photos presented are not achievable

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I have worked in fashion and on photoshoots, so know how much they ar manipulated and how differnt the models look before retouching. For this reason I don't compare myself to models, but I think that when I was younger I was much more influenced by magazine looks.

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People may have lower self esteem after viewing these images as they compare themselves to the

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12 / 15

People may have lower self esteem after viewing these images as they compare themselves to the unrealistic images

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Abnormal

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Need to lose weight

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angry that i'm expected to view these made up people as role models

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it affects my own body image and now I have bdd

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Psychologically upset - without realising people feel negative about themselves

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It could effect in a negative way for some but for others will encourage them to be more healthy and also beauty is on the eye of the beholder so some will see it and dislike it

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pressured to appear a certain way, whether this be aiming for a particular body type or using certain products to appear more like the models or celebrities portrayed in these magazines.

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No difference, unless you are easily influenced

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Provoke and create a low self esteem

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can be depressing if people feel they need to live up to expectations of others and society

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it is sad, young girls feel they have to look the same making them diet.

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Reduces self esteem / confidence. Depression on occassions

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have low self esteem/confidence issues

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Conscious of my own body

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Self conscious

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It doesn't bother me but could understand how it could make some women question the way they look.

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Insecure

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People are aware of the use of photoshop, these images represent an ideal which people like to aspire to. However, this being unattainable, may ultimately make people feel worse, encouraging people to see their bodies in a negative light unless they conform to industry ideals.

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Unaccomplished, less attractive, less worthy of the title of 'beautiful'

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Sad

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Undue pressure for a young demographic

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You compare yourself to the models to a certain degree, which can be slightly depressing, even when you know most are Photoshopped.

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Some will feel inadequate and others sad that they can't just use normal people

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Down, and self-critical.

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Negative towards their own flaws and believing many people out there are perfect who are not

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If people understand that it is a business and know that it is unrealistic, they should be able to be comfortable in their own skin.

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Inferior, overweight, less relevant

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ugly!

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13 / 15

Because ordinary people just don't look like that. And these people wouldn't without there make over and photo edits

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I think we all realise that the women in the adverts are not a real representation of the average figure in the actual world. I think it can be quite dangerous for young girls who believe the models look like that in real life.

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Awareness of the exceptional and enhanced nature of many images is a helpful part of maintaining a healthy self-image. Even in a world without photoshop, there will still be those who conform to accepted norms of western beauty, so it is important to remember that banning photoshopped images on magazines will not solve the problem of unrealistic beauty expectations. Seeing famous and beautiful people with spots, love handles, bad hair days and more realistic proportions would go some way towards addressing the problem however!

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Over weight

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Never up to scratch!

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Inadaquate

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A lot less than average and ugly to be honest

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Inadequate. Useless. Self criticising.

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I know I am not like those pictures but some people want to be, especially young vulnerable kids

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Some people may feel inadequate

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That I need to diet

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I feel very uncomfortable and anxious about my own body. I also have concern about the effect it has on young girls.

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They may feel inadequate

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Personally it makes me look at my perceived imperfections and question why I don't look like those girls. Even with an understanding of the editing that goes on its hard to ignore due to the sheer saturation of these images.

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Body conscious... Unattractive.... Determined

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Can I just say they are not unrealistic and bodies like this can be found in any gym. They are very sexy but different shape bodies can also be found at the gym and equally sexy

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insulted

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Un happy with their own bodies

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nonplussed. maybe I should photoshop myself in my photos!

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depends on the person- Either inspired or sad

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Negative regarding their own body image

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both good and bad

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Motivated to lose weight.

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it could make them feel better about themselves and put a more positive association with less 'skinny' girls

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self concious, unhappy in your own body etc.

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14 / 15

self conscious and rather negative

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I don't think they should feel anything other than "that's a nice dress"

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Sad

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Rubbish about themselves

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Because I know those pictures are after-edited, so I feel ok with them. I just enjoy them and try to learn some styles from them.

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Feel unhappy with own body image

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insecure, confused and worthless

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pressured

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as if their body image isnt good enough

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15 / 15