Getty Images, the go-to platform for stock photos, has introduced a ban on any images that have been retouched to make the subject thinner or larger.
Hot on the heels of their ‘diversity dump’ earlier in the year – where the platform released 42 images of diverse models – Getty images have come out swinging at the culprits behind image retouching for weight loss and gain. Citing a newly enforced French law that obliges clients to disclose whether submissions have been retouched or distorted, the global image platform decided to follow suit.
A press release uploaded to the site confirms the new amendment became effective as of October 1st, 2017. But don’t fret, not all retouching tools have come under the knife! The release assures,
…that other changes made to models like a change of hair colour, nose shape, retouching of skin or blemishes, etc., are outside the scope of this new law, and are therefore still acceptable.
As someone that doesn’t know the first thing about editing images, it’s mind-boggling how Getty will enforce this policy. Is it based on a trust system? Do they have some hypersensitive doovalacky that analyses physical proportions to discrepancies portrayed in the image? Or will models and subjects just have to keep one eye trained on their own images, like Emily Ratajkowski calling out French publication Madame Figaro – just last week, mind you – for altering the bejeezus out of her globally admired features?
Needless to say, we’re glad that such a large image distribution service is taking a stand – particularly as other social media platforms have become cesspools for breeding body image issues and a generation with low self-esteem. What do people gain from altering weight in images anyway? It’s no secret that human beings come in all shapes and sizes, so why should our images reflect this any differently?
What are your thoughts on image retouching? Do you think Getty Images has a right to enforce this policy? We want to hear your opinion!
