Getty Images Is Banning Photoshopped Model Bodies

Photo: Stocksy/Studio Firma
Could the days of scarily unrealistic body standards in media be waning? Dialogue about the importance of seeing accurate representations of the human body—in all its shapes and sizes—has risen to the forefront in recent years. Big brands are catching on, releasing unretouched ad campaigns featuring diverse models who span beyond sample sizes.

Getty Images iStock, the news- and stock-photo agency, is also making a major change to its retouching policy: USA Today reports that beginning October 1, Getty contributors will not be allowed to submit photos that in which the appearance of a model's body has been altered.

"We've seen a trend towards stepping away from the hyper-airbrushed, perfect images of the past and a growing demand for intersectional realism."

In an email, Getty informed contributors of the change, asking "that you do not submit to us any creative content depicting models whose body shapes have been retouched to make them look thinner or larger."

The change is reportedly in response to a new French law requiring people to clearly share when images have been retouched in a body-augmenting manner (under the same legislation, companies can only hire models who are above a certain BMI).

A Getty spokesperson told USA Today that the new policy fits the public awareness around retouching. "We've seen a trend towards stepping away from the hyper-airbrushed, perfect images of the past and a growing demand for intersectional realism."

Check out the marketing campaigns that embrace body positivity, and then embrace these confidence-boosting tips from Danielle Brooks.

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