Cleo Magazine: Stop digitally altering images to change appearances #RealGirlsCleo

The issue

Reality is beautiful. Stop using Photoshop to alter appearances.

Can you also let Cleo know that you signed and what you think by posting on their facebook page?

It's here: https://www.facebook.com/CLEOAustralia?filter=2 (Australia)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CLEO-Magazine/305423871144?filter=2 (NZ)

In high school, not a day would go by without hearing another girl complain about her weight or appearance. I saw girls get severely bullied and excluded because they didn't live up to the beauty ideals of women in magazines. And it made me want to doctor my own appearance even more. 

My friends and I looked up to the models in Cleo magazine. It was one of the most popular among my classmates. But what I think many of us didn't know is that Cleo was altering the images of women to make them skinny and blemish free.

The altered pictures make readers question their weight, appearance and self-worth. I know this much first hand. They teach us that to be "pretty" you have to be thin and have perfect skin. Studies now show that these damaging images can lead to eating disorders, dieting and depression.

Distorting and editing the appearances of models in magazines is distorting the mental health of girls who read magazines that engage in these practices.

Public pressure is building across the world for magazines to stop altering images of girls. In the US a teenager convinced Seventeen Magazine to publish one unaltered spread a month after thousands joined her petition. I think Cleo should do the same for their readers. 

I want Cleo to stop selling images that hurt girls and break our self-esteem. Let us see real faces and real shapes in at least one photo spread a month -- and always put a warning symbol on any image that has been altered. 

It's time to put an end to the digitally enhanced, unrealistic beauty we see in the pages of magazines. Please sign my petition to Cleo Magazine editors calling on them to give us images of real girls in their magazines. 

And I'd love to hear your stories -- if you're on Twitter use #RealGirlsCleo hashtag. 

To help convince Cleo to get on board, I have launched the "Brainwash Project", which involves the presentation of this petition along with edition one of a new magazine showing what young females want and need in their magazines. To complete it, I need as much help as I can get, please visit: http://pozible.com/brainwashproject and/or www.facebook.com/brainwashproject for more information.

avatar of the starter
Jessica BarlowPetition starter
Media enquiries
Confirmed victory
This petition made change with 20,683 supporters!

The issue

Reality is beautiful. Stop using Photoshop to alter appearances.

Can you also let Cleo know that you signed and what you think by posting on their facebook page?

It's here: https://www.facebook.com/CLEOAustralia?filter=2 (Australia)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CLEO-Magazine/305423871144?filter=2 (NZ)

In high school, not a day would go by without hearing another girl complain about her weight or appearance. I saw girls get severely bullied and excluded because they didn't live up to the beauty ideals of women in magazines. And it made me want to doctor my own appearance even more. 

My friends and I looked up to the models in Cleo magazine. It was one of the most popular among my classmates. But what I think many of us didn't know is that Cleo was altering the images of women to make them skinny and blemish free.

The altered pictures make readers question their weight, appearance and self-worth. I know this much first hand. They teach us that to be "pretty" you have to be thin and have perfect skin. Studies now show that these damaging images can lead to eating disorders, dieting and depression.

Distorting and editing the appearances of models in magazines is distorting the mental health of girls who read magazines that engage in these practices.

Public pressure is building across the world for magazines to stop altering images of girls. In the US a teenager convinced Seventeen Magazine to publish one unaltered spread a month after thousands joined her petition. I think Cleo should do the same for their readers. 

I want Cleo to stop selling images that hurt girls and break our self-esteem. Let us see real faces and real shapes in at least one photo spread a month -- and always put a warning symbol on any image that has been altered. 

It's time to put an end to the digitally enhanced, unrealistic beauty we see in the pages of magazines. Please sign my petition to Cleo Magazine editors calling on them to give us images of real girls in their magazines. 

And I'd love to hear your stories -- if you're on Twitter use #RealGirlsCleo hashtag. 

To help convince Cleo to get on board, I have launched the "Brainwash Project", which involves the presentation of this petition along with edition one of a new magazine showing what young females want and need in their magazines. To complete it, I need as much help as I can get, please visit: http://pozible.com/brainwashproject and/or www.facebook.com/brainwashproject for more information.

avatar of the starter
Jessica BarlowPetition starter
Media enquiries

Confirmed victory

This petition made change with 20,683 supporters!

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The Decision Makers

Gemma Crisp
Gemma Crisp
Cleo Editor
Responded
“Hi there, thanks for your thoughts about the images in our magazine. At CLEO, we know we’re a role model for our readers, which is why we have strict guidelines when it comes to retouching images that appear on our pages. As Jessica Barlow, the student behind the petition you signed, is studying media at RMIT, we would have expected her to contact us in regards to our position on retouching and PhotoShop before starting her petition. However she didn’t, so she isn’t aware that we do have retouching guidelines in place, which you can see below. Please note that one of them states that we do NOT change the body shape of any person photographed for the magazine. It’s important to note that a large portion of images featured in CLEO are supplied from picture agencies and the majority these images have had prior retouching, which is beyond CLEO’s control. CLEO cannot reverse any of these changes and effects placed on the images supplied, and there is often no alternative suitable image to use. In regards to covers, approval to run a celebrity on the cover will not be granted by their publicist unless the image has been retouched. In regards the images we do have control over, we adhere closely to the following rules: CLEO retouching guidelines When it comes to retouching, like most other magazines, CLEO uses PhotoShop to: • Neutralise colours to appear as close to real life as possible and for consistency across the magazine. • Enhance, contrast or brighten colours to bring image closer to real life. • Extend photos to reach required 5mm bleed. • Lighten & darken images behind text for legibility. • Remove any temporary skin marks, such as bruises or scratches (NOT natural lines, freckles, moles, etc). • Lighten shadows, where the lighting has had too much of an unnatural effect on the skin tone. • Correct colour casts. When it comes to retouching, CLEO does NOT use PhotoShop to: • Change the body shape of any person photographed for the magazine. • Remove/airbrush natural lines, freckles, or any permanent features, unless specifically requested by the person photographed for the magazine. Again, thanks for your thoughts, we appreciate your time. The CLEO team. ”
Cleo Magazine Australia
Cleo Magazine Australia
Jo Bainbridge
Jo Bainbridge
Photo Editor
Yvonne Kanti
Yvonne Kanti
Art Director
Rachael Mannell
Rachael Mannell
Beauty Editor
Petition updates

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Petition created on 21 July 2012