Parents are expressing their anger and disappointment as schools in the US are putting forward image retouching packages that make young children appear picture-perfect.
Jennifer Greene was one such parent who couldn’t believe her eyes after she came across a Photoshop proposition that put forward a picture retouching package for young students, including features such as blemish removal and teeth whitening too.
“They’re trying to take their innocence away by making them look picture-perfect,” the mother revealed. “I was absolutely shocked by the proposal and how the school found it ok to include the proposition in each student’s school-picture envelope,” she explained.
The mother says that this was a trend that she feared so much for her daughter after the added pressure of social media filters made so many people self-conscious about their appearance.
“There are young girls who fall prey to these scams. They begin to assume that whatever they see on social media is real and hence feel anxious or depressed that they aren’t good enough to fit into the unbelievable standards of beauty,” she added.
But Greene isn’t the only parent that’s concerned for her daughter. She is a part of thousands of Americans who don’t support the trend of retouching student pictures with the click of a mouse.
While many parents are well aware that the concept of editing or retouching is not new, they still believe that it’s outrageous for schools to promote such activities or even consider them as options for young kids.
Blasting the photo editing company on Twitter, Greene spoke about how she needed an immediate explanation as to why @Lifetouch would even think retouching school pictures for kids was okay, to begin with.
The company defended its actions by claiming it was an optional deal and no parent was obliged to pay extra for this added feature that comes with school photography services.