There’s obviously a problem with depicting models that are unattainably and unhealthily thin, but there is another issue at work, media continues to lie. How about they try a little truth in advertising for a change? This article mentioned more than just this freakishly thin model, it mentioned lightening Beyonce’s skin and thinning various other models. It’s despicable just how much we are lied to through advertising, this example employs an additional malfeasance by the advertising institution by setting an unrealistic and unhealthy bar for young, female audiences.
It’s defiantly an ethical issue on both fronts and it seems like their breaking two moral laws. There’s really nothing wrong with touching up a photograph to make it look nicer in advertising. Maybe the light wasn’t just right, or the contrasting features didn’t stand out enough. I don’t see an issue with enhancing what is already there. I can’t speak for the other examples as I didn’t see those ads, but when you alter something to the point of creating something that wasn’t there before, like an emaciated waistline, that goes beyond touching up. At that point you may as well be animating an advertisement.