TriPollar Blog

The French government recently suggested requiring publishers to introduce notices on ads that feature airbrushed models and beauty makeover; a similar proposal has been brought up in the UK.
The reasoning behind this issue is the fact young girls exposed to these advertisements, tend to develop dissatisfaction with their bodies, this causes them to develop eating disorders and a low self esteem.
A study conducted in the School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia, demonstrated that after viewing ads with “perfect” models, subjects experienced anxiety related to their appearance (1).  A similar study was conducted in the university of Kent, UK (2). This study also demonstrated a negative correlation between women’s body image weight following exposure to idealized images, it also found a correlation between women’s self image and sexual satisfaction; the lower the self image a woman has the less sexual satisfaction.
It is an interesting idea to expose the ads that are retouched to improve the model. However, it would be very difficult to fully implement this restriction, what is the fine line between retouching photos for print and manipulation of images? Will the message in small print next to the picture of the slim, perfect image have any influence on the viewer?
It is clear, however that it is important to have a positive self image, this strengthens ones self esteem and makes the individual less prone to comparison with the external images. As we age it requires more effort to maintain the positive loving attitude to our body, we need to increase exercise duration, sleep more and search for good anti-aging care. Some simple non invasive methods are available to actually increase the collagen in the skin and to tighten existing skin without neither pain nor complex procedures. Some of the anti aging methods even include home skin anti-aging devices, which require only little investment of time and money, such as the TriPollar STOP device.