By Katherine Yaremko, Columnist
Spain’s recently passed legislation will limit the times during which television advertisements for particular beauty treatments can be broadcast. The decision was made as an attempt to combat the rise in eating disorders among youth, with the belief that advertising is a contributory factor. Not surprisingly, plastic surgery companies are not pleased with the law, which will ban the display of such advertising before 10 p.m.
It may be a while before noticeable effects of the law can be determined, although I agree with its passage. Such a law may not only prove beneficial for Spain, but could also improve similar concerns in the U.S. While some might argue that such a ban in this country would mean greater government infringement on the private marketplace, I believe such a ban, or restrictions, is necessary in order to reduce the promotion of the ultra-skinny paradigm that leads so many to develop eating disorders.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, approximately 11 million Americans are struggling with an eating disorder of some kind, with bulimia and anorexia as the non-predominant ones. The BBC also reported that psychiatrists have found that the media definitively plays a role in the development of body image issues and eating disorders in young individuals. While the results of the report seem self-evident, the media nonetheless continues to set certain standards, which particularly affect the young, vulnerable and insecure.
Greater regulation of the beauty industry could ultimately follow the same path that tobacco took. It would be irresponsible and negligent to simply allow the beauty industry to continue promoting its products when the advertised model is linked to serious and widespread health problems. Limiting what the industry can and cannot advertise would be less of an intrusion of government upon a capitalist system, and more of a way of preventing companies from exploiting the fears of the vulnerable and easily impressionable.
Education about the way in which advertisements work and how they are constructed could also be extremely helpful in helping young individuals understand just how deceptive and manipulative the advertising business is. Schools decide it is important to educate children on mathematical principles and grammatical rules, yet provide little information to students on how to deal with pressure from the media. Even though most individuals know that advertising operates on manipulation, there are probably enough young people who are not aware of the extent to which this occurs or who are unable to avoid being significantly influenced by it. High schools could greatly serve their students by incorporating lessons into their health curriculums. They could show videos that demonstrate Photoshop techniques and airbrushing, as well as, the various tactics used to take a picture of a model and transform her into an individual who does not even exist.
I feel as if, in general, too many assumptions are made about what the public, as consumers, understand and know about the world of products and their promotion. The beauty industry gives its pitch, mostly intent on garnering as much profit as possible. Often this means concealing flaws and uncomfortable truths about products. Those who know of these truths navigate the maze of publicizing, yet those who do not may find themselves sucked into dangerous addictions or issues, such as an eating disorder. The vulnerable and the impressionable should not be left to chart the reckless waters alone, just as the treatment of eating disorders should not solely focus on providing help to individuals after they have developed a problem.
