Do you see something wrong with this picture?

          It's definitely the same person except that the picture on the left resembles a barbie doll, perfect hair, radiant eye color, wrinkle-free, porcelain skin. Looking at these two pictures, it clearly is the same person however, with the help of digital alterations and airbrushing, actress Julia Roberts was transformed into a flawless version of herself. 

            As I was reading online about this incident that occured this past summer,  Julia Roberts who is featured in a L'Oreal ad promoting a foundation, was overly re-touched which struck up some controversy. This turned into such a huge issue that the Advertising Standards Authority were involved and asked the company to take down their ads. In Mark Sweney's article, he explained that "the ASA ruled that both ads breached the advertising standards code for exaggeration and being misleading and banned them from future publication." Prior to reading this article I had never heard of the ASA, but it seems like they are really cracking down on companies that are not only false advertising but once again affecting the way society looks at celebrities/models in the beauty industry. The U.K. went as far as banning the ads after Jo Swinson,  British Liberal Democrat who is known for her fight against unrealistic digitally enhanced campaign ads, was the one who brought attention to L'Oreal's ad.

“Pictures of flawless skin and super-slim bodies are all around, but they don't reflect reality," said Swinson. "Excessive airbrushing and digital manipulation techniques have become the norm, but both Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts are naturally beautiful women who don't need retouching to look great. This ban sends a powerful message to advertisers – let's get back to reality."

            In my opinion, the picture on the right of Julia Roberts is more relatable to consumers then the airbrushed version of her. People are going to relate to Julia Roberts because even though the picture on the right may have wrinkles, everyone has wrinkles. Make-up is suppose to enhance your appearance and the advertisement on the left does not show that, it is just a result of photoshop. I think that her flaws are what give her character and beauty. These make-up companies such as L'Oreal, Maybelline, CoverGirl, and Neutrogena advertise make-up products that contain anti-aging substances or ingredients that promote younger or better looking skin, so if companies retouch their pictures extensively then they are not providing an accurate image of what the product actually does for their consumers. This ultimately gives off the wrong message to buyers and this is a prime example of why society is so harsh on their self-image. The beauty industry sets such high standards for consumers who are buying these products and viewing these ads, because even with all the botox, anti-aging creams, plastic surgery, or facial products, no one looks this perfect. Aging is a inevitable and should be embraced. Photoshopped images are never going to go away but the extent of how advertising companies are editing their pictures should definitely be re-evaluated.

The Power of Photoshop: