Debenhams’ Moral Obligation To Ban Airbrushing

Debenhams, a high-street department store in the UK, claims that they have a moral obligation to ban the use of airbrushing techniques on all lingerie model shots.

The department store says that they “want to help customers feel confident about their figures without bombarding them with unattainable body images,” says Daily Mail.

The use of today’s technology, such as digital photography and airbrushing, is creating unrealistic body shapes and flawless skin, which can, and does, make men and women of all ages feel insecure about how they look.

Though, some recent research shows that about half of schoolgirls as young as 12-years-old are unhappy with their image and weight, and some are skipping meals in order to look like the airbrushed images that they see on a daily basis.

Debenhams knows they can’t be the change alone, so they are calling on other retailers to follow them in the fight to promote positive body-image through “’minimal retouching rather than bombarding them with unattainable body images,’ said a spokesperson”

While minimal retouching is at least a start, Debenhams hopes that others will follow suit and ultimately ban airbrushing techniques all together.

Sharon Webb, Head of Lingerie buying and design for Debenhams stated,

“As well as being a positive from a moral point of view, it ticks the economic boxes as well.

“Millions of pounds a year are spent by organizations retouching perfectly good images.”

Webb goes on to say:

“As a rule we only airbrush minor things like pigmentation or stray hair and rely on the natural beauty of models to make our product look great.”

According to Daily Mail, Debenhams previously ran trials with size 16 mannequins in windows and has worked with disabled models and paralympians and this move furthers the store’s commitment to promoting positive body image and inclusivity.

Debenhams says that their campaign is “all about making omen feel fabulous about themselves rather than crushing their self-esteem by using false comparisons.”

Body image and low self-esteem go hand in hand in today’s society. Do you think other retailers will jump on board with the ban on airbrushing?

Image via Huffington Post]