Advertisers urged to stop airbrushing celebs

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Advertisers in Britain are being urged to stop airbrushing pictures of celebrities to help teenagers feel happier about their own looks.

Liberal Democrats MPs warn advertisers which use altered images, particularly in promotional material aimed at young girls such as movie posters, puts unnecessary pressure on teens.

The opposition party wants a ban on altered or enhanced pictures in ads aimed at the under-16s and new rules forcing advertisers to reveal how much images have been airbrushed in ads aimed at adults.

"Today's unrealistic idea of what is beautiful means that young girls are under more pressure now than they were even five years ago," Jo Swinson, who headed a review of the party's women's policy, told The Independent newspaper on Monday.

"Airbrushing means that adverts contain completely unattainable perfect images no one can live up to in real life.

"We need to help protect children from these pressures and we need to make a start by banning airbrushing in adverts aimed at them."

Swinson said the media's focus on the physical appearance of women had got out of hand.

"No one really has perfect skin, perfect hair and a perfect figure but women and young girls increasingly feel that nothing less than thin and perfect will do," she said.

But the Advertising Standards Agency said it would be hard to control the extent of airbrushing.

"All ads are altered or enhanced, whether it's food that has steam added at a later date to lighting techniques to airbrushing," a spokeswoman said.

- AAP