Categories: Ideas

Future Blind Part 2: Photoshopping

In another case of the ridiculous… the French lawmakers are considering making photoshopping illegal!

Last week, we had the Victorian government body Vicroads bringing in laws to limit GPS enabled smartphones only to be used as phones within a motor vehicle.

We labelled this a classic case of ‘future blind’ where some one makes a decision that is at odds with what is happening or most likely to happen.

Mashable via The Telegraph report a proposed law in France will require a warning for all images in newspaper and magazine advertising, press photos, product packaging, etc. Like a packet of cigarettes a health warning will be required along the lines of: Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person’s physical appearance.” Otherwise, you’ll be fined big dollars.

Still laughing?

The idea came from a report authored by a French MP on anorexia and bulima. Supposedly, photoshopped photos are presenting a biased and idealised human form in the photos and therefore, it’s a health issue…

Well I’ll be… I guess we should smash all the greek sculptures too! Weren’t they designed to portray an idealised human form too?

Also, doesn’t this pre-suppose that photos are real? Since when did anyone believe that a photo was not photoshopped? My presumption is that all commerical photos are photoshopped in some way… at least in ads! Am I just a sceptic or merely pragmatic?

What’s your thought? Do you expect commercial photos to be photoshopped? Do you care?

Geoff McDonald

Share
Published by
Geoff McDonald

Recent Posts

Why Adults Become Sixth Graders with Linda Gidlund

Put a group of successful, educated adults into a training room and something strange can…

2 days ago

What Mick Jagger Taught Me About Experience

I was listening to David Marchese interview Mick Jagger for The New York Times Interview…

1 week ago

Why His Professor Told Him to Skip Class with Michael Henderson

Michael Henderson's anthropology professor gave his students some unusual advice: "If you find an interesting…

1 week ago

Why Information Doesn’t Change People with Dr Patterson Stark

Why is it that we often know exactly what to do... but still don't do…

2 weeks ago

What an Assassin taught me about Experience

In The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne has no idea who he is. He has amnesia, which…

2 weeks ago

Why Good People Misunderstand Each Other with Taruni Falconer

When I sat down to speak with intercultural communication expert Taruni Falconer, I expected to…

3 weeks ago