Proposed Arizona bill would outlaw airbrushed photos

PHOENIX - A bill at the State Capitol wants to force airbrushed ads to come with an alert for readers.

Something like: "This photo has been altered by post production techniques. Similar results may not be achieved."

It’s the efforts of Democrat Representative Katie Hobbs.

She got the idea after talking to officials at the Maricopa County YWCA who are on the front lines of dealing with women’s issues like body image. 

The proposal is similar to laws being considered in other countries like Great Britain.

“I think it is important to let people know, especially young people, that these pictures are not real,” said Rep. Hobbs.

You know the pictures she is talking about. They are the pictures that come in magazines and billboards showing women with impossibly long legs, flawless skin and perfect hair.

They are usually seen in ads for women’s products but also sometimes in men's ads.

Hobbs idea is to have any ad that is created in the state and enhanced by photoshop techniques to come with an alert, letting the reader know it.

She is doing it to help young people realize photographs of these people are not real, and that the improvements they see in before and after pictures, are often because of airbrushing, not by using the product.

Hobbs admits enforcing the law would be nearly impossible on a state level,  and that her bill will never make it out of committee.

But the fact that people are talking about it is a victory to her.