Photoshopping of models in advertising: A review of the literature and future research agenda

The extant literature suggests that idealized imagery of female models in advertising has negative impacts on the body satisfaction of those exposed. Women can feel pressure to live up to “perfect” images depicted in advertising, sometimes resulting in negative consequences. As a result, the practice of digital retouching or “photoshopping” of ads has come under scrutiny, with some countries implementing restrictions on the practice. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the literature on photoshopping of ads in terms of both its societal and managerial impacts. We also examine literature investigating whether the inclusion of disclaimers on photoshopped images has effects on consumers’ reaction to the ad both psychologically and in terms of ad effectiveness. Findings suggest that, in some settings, idealized imagery as an output of digital retouching does have a negative impact on women’s body satisfaction. The limited research on disclaimers suggest that they do not have much effect either on body image or ad effectiveness, but more research is needed. Directions for future research aimed at better understanding the impact of photoshopping are provided.