The Sacrifice of Self-Esteem in a "Perfect" World

Madison McClary

mm326315@ohio.edu

Our media today is built off of mistrust and photoshopped images. Many images that we see in our media, whether It is magazines or social media, are altered and edited in some way. YouTube celebrities such as James Charles openly admit to photoshopping their own selfies before posting them on Instagram. You might be thinking, “As long as they aren’t changing any facial or body features it’s okay”, but where do we draw the line between healthy photoshopping and dangerous photoshopping?

Christine Haughney from the New York Times interviewed Emma Stydahar who stated that “I’m not an expert on Photoshop but I’m an expert on being a teen girl. I don’t think girls have to grow up where their self-esteem is compromised” (2012). Photoshopping images to make a celebrity, model, or background look better is not only unethical, but it harms the self-esteem of the viewers who look at it. An article by dosomething.org states that “Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. Unfortunately, only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media.” (n.d.). This issue is not only prevalent for women. Safeline.org posted an article where it discussed how in “Credos’ 2016 study, ‘A Picture of Health’ found that 41% of boys feel that the portrayal of men in media images is unrealistic” (2016). While magazines are certainly a cause for concern when it comes to the distortion of images, social media has risen in the ranks for how women and men alike view their bodies. 

TODAY Magazine; The Florida House Experience Statistics

How can journalists fix this issue of photo manipulation? Ethically, photo manipulation should not be allowed within journalism. Not only does it harm self-confidence for viewers, but it also is a violation of the truth that journalists strive to uphold. Images that are manipulated in any form cause a distortion of the truth. As journalists, the viewers always have to be kept in mind. Journalists take an oath to be truthful above all things. It is vital to uphold this truth no matter how hard it maybe sometimes. In the lecture this week it was stated that sometimes it can be difficult to decide when it is in the audience’s best interest to tell the truth, such as the photos posted in some newspapers during 9/11. Journalists ethically have to decide if telling the truth, in any aspect, is in the audience’s best interest. After all, truth builds trust between the journalist and the audience.