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If we are totally honest, very few of us, are 100% happy with our bodies. Most of us, if we could, would change something. Our weight or body shape perhaps? Nose too long, ears too big, feet like flippers or hands like shovels, there is usually something we don't like about ourselves, but being adults we tend to accept ourselves for what we are and get on with our day.

It can be a bigger issue with young people, especially young girls.

Role Models

Statistically, issues surrounding body image and self perception, how someone sees themselves and thinks others see them, effects young girls more than young men. This is hardly surprising when you think of the images young girls see in magazines and on the television of size "0" models or perfectly proportioned ladies advertising things they aspire to have or which are popular with young people.

Such is the impact these images can have on young people that some advertisers have chosen not to use size "0" or super slim models in their campaigns anymore and it is now common knowledge that that many of the photographs and images used in the media and in advertising campaigns are enhanced airbrushed or altered. In fact two MP's are campaigning for retouched photographs to be clearly marked as such. Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, who has been campaigning against excessive airbrushing in advertisements along with fellow MP Jo Swinson and believes that advertisers should point out where images have been altered.

Reality or Retouching?

If you want to see how this is done, and the effects of airbrushing and enhancement then we suggest a quick visit to the following websites. Both feature the Hollywood actress Keira Knightley. Posters for her 2004 film "King Arthur" attracted controversy when she revealed that they had been digitally altered. While the British posters displayed her natural boyish look, the American ones showed her with a clearly inflated chest.

Cut and paste the following link into the address bar of your browser, and you can see both pictures. www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=323114

A second link to demonstrate the point: www.skinnyvscurvy.com/keira-knightley/keira-knightleys-airbrushed-chanel-ad.html This shows Ms Knightley in a perfume advertisement and contains an article published in the Daily Mail, which comments on the photograph.

Press Comments

The article, published in August 2009 and written by Daily Mail journalist Simon Cable was entitled "Brushed up nicely" and highlights the changed image used in the perfume advert. The article quotes airbrushing expert Chris Bickmore who gives a very interesting insight into what was actually done to the image, from the enhancement of Ms Knightley's chest right down to the lines on the back of her hands being smoothed out.

So, even in the case of the gorgeous Ms Knightley, what you see is most definatly not what you get. Lynne Featherstone, the MP we mentioned earlier said:

"Keira is a beautiful woman and that’s the point. If the image has been airbrushed then people need to know so they don’t try and achieve what is totally unrealistic. Young girls especially will try and aspire to things which often they can’t achieve and which will leave them feeling bad about themselves. Where an image has been altered and retouched, we are simply saying there needs to be a symbol showing what has been done and where."

(Reproduced by kind permission of Lynne Featherstone, MP)

Ms Featherstone's comments do go right to the heart of the issue, and many girls who try to aspire to looking as good as a retouched photograph obviously fail. This can lead to some of the problems mentioned here.

A Note of Caution

Please remember the comments we have made in several areas of this site. Here at BEST Advice we are not Doctors or medical professionals and it is never our aim to take the place of such people. If you suspect you child is suffering from any form of medical condition, but especially those mentioned in this section, seek the help and advice of a medical expert, your GP. (See our Disclaimer)

A Source of Information

While each topic in this section has several websites listed at the end that you can visit for more information, one good one which deals with bodily bits and pieces and some of the more common things we hate about them or that can go wrong with them and effect our self image is: Embarrassing Bodies

This site is from the Channel 4 television programme "Embarrassing Bodies" in which Doctors look at, explain and treat some of the common conditions many people suffer from which knock their self image and cause untold embarrassment. It has a superb database of over 270 conditions, ranging from nail infections to hair problems, sexual health issues to excess wind and many, many more. The site is very well laid out, easy to navigate and contains masses of help and information.