Jan
28
2010

Spain Steps In, For the Good of Its People?

Model Filipa Hamilton in "real life" and the photoshopped version of her in a Ralph Lauren ad. What person wouldn't look at that an feel self conscious, even if it is fake?

Spain is currently entertaining the idea of banning any advertisements “that encourage the cult of the body and have a negative impact on self-image” before 10 p.m. The reason being that the number of eating disorders is on the rise in Spain, and the hope is that this will help to reduce that growth. This isn’t Spain’s first go at it either. In 2007, many fashion retailers agreed to not use mannequins smaller than a size 6. And the year before that, Madrid became the first city to set standards that prohibited overly thin models from taking to the runways during fashion week.

As an advertiser, I understand where some critics are coming from. This will limit the amount of people viewing the message. On most nights, the majority of adults are in bed before midnight, so one might think the industry will suffer because even adults might not see the ads. Not to mention the fact that this can be viewed as a form of censorship and we all know what issues that can bring up.

But, as a female that grew up in [what I am dubbing] the “supermodel era” I applaud the Spanish government for this move.

(Cue the violins)

I can remember being very, very young, maybe somewhere between 7 and 9 years old, and worrying that the interstate bridge would collapse under my weight. What child that young thinks those thoughts on her own? That idea had to come from somewhere, right?  Although I have gotten past that irrational fear, I will easily admit that I still have a self-image problem, as do the majority of my female friends. Can I say it was a direct result of advertisements? Probably not, but the constant reminders to be thin certainly didn’t help either. And when young girls see images like the one above, all they know is they want to look like her because everywhere they turn they are bombarded with images telling them that is the way they need to look to be considered pretty. They have no concept of the fact that that body has been photoshopped to near death.

I think there is an underlying point that is being overlooked here.  Isn’t our jobs as advertisers to make sure we are being socially responsible? Shouldn’t we use images that are accurate?   Think about it this way. There are advertising laws that mandate that images/advertisements for food have to actually be taken of the food being sold. Why shouldn’t there be a law that prohibits the use of dramatically and falsely “enhanced”images that are used to promote health, beauty and fashion products?   After all, there is no way that shirt in the picture above would look like that on a model that skinny. Don’t forget, that if the model was slimmed down so was the entire outfit, thus altering the products being sold.

Although a government step in can be bad for an advertiser, we have to remember that we are all people. And ultimately, we have to do what is best for ourselves as mothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, brothers, and dads…and then worry about the bottom line. Who knows, maybe this will end up being more good than bad. I know on the days that I feel fat, I don’t want to do anything but lay in bed. On days where I feel good about myself, I like to shop and spend money. Isn’t that the main goal anyway?

What do you think of Spain stepping in? Will it help the citizens more than harm the industry?