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Dublin: 12 °C Sunday 19 May, 2013

UK: Parents urged to teach children about airbrushing

Parents in Britain have been urged not to comment on their children’s weight or appearance in order to encourage a health attitude to body image.

PARENTS IN THE UK have been urged by the government to educate their children about airbrushing – and not to comment on their looks or weight.

Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone has launched a guide aimed at addressing body hangups in young people, which warns parents that remarks about their child’s appearance can have a negative impact on their self-esteem.

The guide recommends that guardians do not give criticism – or even too much praise – about a young person’s appearance, as doing so can place too much focus on physical appearances and cause them to feel pressure. It also advises parents not to discuss their own issues with weight or appearance in front of their children.

The guide says parents should educate their children about how photographs presented in the media are touched-up and altered, as young people uninformed about airbrushing could develop unrealistic standards for themselves.



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Comments (13 Comments)

  • Yes, not talking about a problem makes it go away. Ostrich management, I love it.

    Reply
    • Yep. There’s already a massive issue with childhood obesity at the moment because everyone is afraid to say something and prefers to ignore it or blame the companies instead of the parents. Now they’re advising parents not to comment on their kids weight, or way or another, at all.

      Completely ridiculous. Loving something means more than just being nice to it all the time, which is unfortunately what is being pushed on parents these days.

      Reply
    • Airbrushing and related editing isn’t just about obesity. It’s about letting kids know that, yes, normal teenagers have pimples, that size 12 is not fat, not all men have bulging muscles and that not everyone has fake tan and eyelashes.

      While being nice all the time is maybe being pushed on parents, conforming to one body type is pushed on teenagers.

      Reply
  • Better still get the government to Ban airbrushing.

    Reply
  • Barry 22/06/12 #

    How about the government instead crack down on all the nonsense that companys get away with in advertising,

    For example if a company says 55% of people agree, it should be always a survey of 100 people and not 55% agree out of 431 people they picked, this would make things more clear cut for people for a start.

    And thats just to start with, all those fake lashes and hair extensions should also be banned, if the product can’t look good on its own then hard luck.

    Reply
  • mcbab 22/06/12 #

    This is a good idea. One we should follow.

    Reply
  • I have to disagree… If their parents, school, relations, friends etc had stepped in and said something when the current generation of overweight/obese people were just starting to let themselves go instead of tip toeing around people’s fragility and pandering to their sensitivities they may have done something before it became an issue

    I’ll admit that it’s a momentous task to reverse morbid obesity… but it’s a easy demonstration of self discipline to look after yourself when your staring to eat unhealthy, become inactive.

    Reply
  • Kate Moss is actually the size of Vanessa Feltz. True. Or maybe the other way around. Well one of them anyway.nOut with hair brushing I say.

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  • Hang on a second, is this the same country that allows social workers remove children from their parents because they claim they are overweight based on school medicals????nnHypocracy!

    Reply

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