As more social media users develop an aversion to flawless feeds, while the #skinpositivity movement champions supposed ‘imperfections’, brands across sectors are facing calls to stop retouching reality. But why exactly are airbrushed images so problematic, and should they carry warning labels?
Maria Malone is a principal lecturer in fashion business at The Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University. She worked in the clothing industry for over 20 years and regularly comments on fashion-related stories for the BBC.
Tracey Thornborrow works in the School of Psychology at the University of Lincoln. She has spent the last four years researching media influences on local beauty ideals and body image in Nicaragua. She investigates body ideals and body image across cultures, with ongoing studies into men’s body image and the development of children’s body size perceptions.
Emmajo Read is a writer and copywriter based in London. She has a bachelor’s degree Sociology and a master’s in Cultural and Critical Studies. For Canvas8, she’s written about everything from sex and solitude to pet parents and veganism. She’s also written for Protein and DJ Magazine.
