When you see a model in a clothing store, part of you thinks “Wow, she is so pretty! I wish I could look like her.”

But how many models actually look like the seemingly perfect beings they are in advertisements?

Photoshop has been around for a long time, and I doubt many people are surprised to learn that a lot of stores retouch their models. Some companies have been bringing more attention to this issue, such as Dove’s “Evolution” video which shows a normal woman ‘Photoshopped’ to have model-like qualities. There is also American Eagle’s new lingerie line Aerie, where the company boasted that they did not Photoshop their models, and “what you see is what you really get.”

Though the anti-Photoshop advertisements make noise, some advertisements that do use Photoshop are even louder. Recently, Target made the mistake of all too obviously retouching one of their models. In giving this girl a thigh gap (a new trend among teenage girls), they made the rest of her body look very disproportionate.

There have been trends among teenage girls which are dangerous, and the most recent is the thigh gap. A thigh gap is when you are standing up straight with both knees touching and there is a gap in between your inner thighs. There is a standard that if you do not have a thigh gap, bony collarbones, protruding hip bones, and a flat stomach, then your body is not “perfect.”

Retouching models is a problem that negatively affects the self-esteem and health of women. Even though it may be unintentional, companies are promoting the idea of the “perfect body image,” which is ultimately becoming a large part of teenage girls body issues.

This standard is ridiculous. There is no healthy way (mentally or physically) of attaining this new ideal. You either starve yourself, or feel ashamed of your body because you do not have these “perfect” qualities. Either way, you don’t gain anything accept for an eating disorder or a new sense of shame for your body.

But let’s think about the companies that rely on Photoshop to sell their products. As a consumer, would you want to buy something that you think will make you look average, or attractive?

Companies are using Photoshop to make their products more appealing to the consumer. Though it may seem like it, the goals of companies is to make money, not force people to lose self-esteem. They hear about new trends and use them to their advantage.

Do not get me wrong, I am in no way supporting what the companies are doing. However, I can see why they use Photoshop.

But intentionally or unintentionally, using a body image that will ultimately hurt people for corporate gain is wrong. Though most companies are probably unaware of this, their promotion of the new “ideal” body type is physically and emotionally hurting people. It may be able to sell the product, but it is not worth damaging their customers.

We need to take action. By continuing to buy these companies products, they will not stop retouching their models to have the perfect body. As the consumer, we need to make it clear that promoting this unhealthy body image is detrimental to our physical and emotional health.

Stop looking at these models and thinking “I would do anything to look like them,” because it is more than likely that those models were Photoshopped. Stop wishing for the thigh gap, because a ridiculous trend is not worth your health. A Photoshopped image is not real. We should not be holding ourselves to a standard that is unrealistic and harmful.