A lawmaker’s bill, which would have prevented print advertisers from dramatically altering images, did not see a vote this year but has initiated a debate among groups about false advertising and the portrayal of women’s bodies.
Rep. Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix, proposed House Bill 2793 in an attempt to prohibit print advertisers in Arizona from altering or airbrushing photos to create an illusion or deception without a proper disclaimer.
The House Commerce Committee discussed the bill Feb.15, but held it as the committee hearing went late into the night.
Hobbs said last week was the last chance for a piece of legislation to make it out of the House, so essentially the bill is dead.
Organizations that work with people recovering from eating disorders contacted her office in support of the bill, she said.
Other constituents disagreed, telling Hobbs advertisers should regulate themselves and legislators should focus on the economy, she said.
Hobbs said while the bill will not see a vote this year, it was successful in provoking a conversation about how advertisements affect self-esteem.
“Even when you have that positive messaging from your parents and at home, these images still have an impact,” Hobbs said.
The Maricopa County YWCA, an international non-profit advocating for social and women’s issues, has begun its push for similar legislation in Arizona.
Maricopa County YWCA CEO Dana Campbell Saylor helped draft the legislation and has asked her organization’s various state branches for a national version of the bill to take to Congress, she said.
National advertising campaigns make any state law difficult to enforce, Saylor said, while a federal law would make the standard for advertisements uniform across the country.
Legislators showed apathy toward the bill at the Commerce Committee meeting, she said.
“People make fun of it, or they downplay it because they haven’t been educated on it,” Saylor said.
With technological advancements making it easier to alter images, the problem of false advertising has just gotten worse, Saylor said.
“If advertisers want to monitor themselves, so be it, but they are not,” she said.
She said advertisements contribute to anorexic behavior, lowered self-esteems and more instances of domestic violence.
“Once you change the lenses of how you look at advertising, you never go back,” Saylor said. “Once you’re aware, you aren’t as easily manipulated or seduced.”
ASU marketing professor Vincent Blasko said people give advertising too much credit for causing society’s ails.
“A lot of people get upset with advertising, but there are some really good ads as well,” Blasko said.
He pointed to the Dove Real Beauty and the Nike Just Do It ad campaigns, both of which empowered women.
Blasko said the disclaimer the bill would have required could hurt an advertiser’s credibility. It would be more prudent, he said, to educate young women and rid the media of images that portray them as sex objects.
“The spirit of (the bill) makes sense to me,” Blasko said. “I think young people need to grow up aware of the images in our culture.”
Finance junior Erin Barkley said advertisements tend to put forth an image of the ideal woman.
“It’s impactful toward women because it sets this unrealistic standard for women, and men too,” Barkley said.
Hobbs said she would sponsor another bill if Saylor were to attempt bringing the issue to the Arizona legislature again but that it would be more effective at the national level.
“I think it’s important as a legislator to bring attention and highlight issues that are important to people,” Hobbs said.
Reach the reporter at Michelle.Peirano@asu.edu
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