Warning: this unrealistic image has been Photoshopped

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/france-considers-warning-label-on-photoshopped-imagery.ars

I found this web page recently on the social news site reddit.com, where it was recently featured as one of the top stories. The article addresses a proposed resolution in France, that would force all photoshopped images to feature a disclaimer saying they are "unrealistic." The response to the legislation was almost overwhelmingly positive, clueing government officials into the fact that we, as the consumers of the world, are not comfortable with the idea of "commodity fetishism" transferring over to portrayals of the human body.

The vast majority of ads we see today feature images that are sharply divorced from reality. Not only do the models in the images differ from a daily experiences on their looks, they are further abstracted by the use of digital tools that are able to make their skin smoother, tanner, and drastically change their body shapes. This has spawned a niche market for tabloid magazines that show unedited images of celebrities, often to the shock and awe of the consumer.

Celebrity endorsements, and the branding tactics of clothing lines like Abercrombie (where the models are representative of the clothing, not the other way around) have caused us to associate commodities with a lifestyle we wish to lead in the future. By wearing Abercrombie clothes, we hope to emanate the same sexual energy that models, who are not wearing the clothes in the catalogs, seem to naturally exude. This is aided in large part by digital correction, and it causes teens especially to feel frustrated and inadequate. How does the class feel about this? Is the unanimous alteration of the human form a victimless crime? Is this "surgeon general-like warning" neccesary?