The development and popularization of social media to share photos of ourselves and our lives have resulted in the development of means of digital enhancement tools to make edit our photos. It has become increasingly common for people to edit their appearance in the photos they share to something that looks little to nothing like their true selves.
This phenomenon has resulted in many social media users having warped perceptions of what others look like and, consequently, what they should look like. This is why in Norway, legislators made it so that influencers and content creators are required by law to disclose if they have edited themselves in their photos.
A 2017 report by the UK’s Royal Society for Public Health found that Instagram is the worst social media platform for young people’s mental health and it is safe to infer that this has much to do with the unattainable beauty standards that are set on the platform.
According to Vice: “Under the recently passed rules, advertisements where a body’s shape, size, or skin has been retouched – even through a filter before a photo is taken – will need a standardized label designed by the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. Examples of manipulations requiring labelling include enlarged lips, narrowed waists, and exaggerated muscles, but it’s not clear if the same will apply to adjustments of lighting or saturation.”
Moreover, “Any violations are punishable with escalating fines and, in extreme cases, even imprisonment.”
What do you think of the measures Norway are taking?
Norway passes a law that forces influencers to label their retouched photos > https://t.co/srTZVenSCW pic.twitter.com/nIDZrejiNT
— It's Nice That (@itsnicethat) July 4, 2021