Modcloth takes its anti-photoshopping pledge to Capitol Hill
Not just a place to find gorgeous affordable wedding dresses, Modcloth has always strived to be a body positive and inclusive brand, whether it was launching an in-house collection with sizes ranging from XS to 4X or hiring comedian and fashion fan Rye Silverman to be their first transgender model. Just when you couldn’t love them more, the online women’s retailer has taken huge steps forward in the movement against photoshopping.
This morning, co-founder and chief creative officer Susan Koger hosted an event on Capitol Hill in support of the Truth in Advertising Act, a bill that asks the Federal Trade Commission to develop a regulatory framework for ads where people have been significantly altered through techniques such as Photoshop. In 2014, Modcloth became the first and only retailer to sign the Heroes Pledge For Advertisers, promising “not to change the shape, size, proportion, color and/or remove/enhance the physical features, of the people in our ads in post-production.”
At today’s event, Koger asked its community of customers to help support the act by joining a letter writing campaign launched by The Representation Project and I Am That Girl. The bill is being sponsored by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL-27), Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA-24), and Rep. Theodore E. Deutch (D-FL-21). “The Truth in Advertising Act is important for so many young women and men who face body image issues due to unrealistic depictions in advertisements,” explained Rep. Ros-Lehtinen. “Young women and men are often trying to live up to an unattainable and unhealthy ‘ideal body’ instead of a healthy body. All stakeholders should come together and find a solution that respects consumer health and wellbeing while permitting creativity and artistic expression.”
“What we see in advertisements and fashion magazines colors our expectations, even if those images are unknowingly altered,” said Rep. Capps. “This especially affects young people who internalize this unrealistic ideal of beauty — leaving them at risk and vulnerable. We must do all we can to ensure that our nation’s consumers have the tools necessary to distinguish real life from fiction so that they can form a healthy body image.”
Rep. Deutch added, “Our culture is so saturated with unrealistic, digitally-altered body images that we hardly notice. When advertisers try to sell these distortions as truth it can create damaging expectations, especially for young people. I’m proud to support the Truth in Advertising Act to bring together regulators, parents, health professionals, and the business and advertising communities to develop a better understanding of the health impacts of altered body images used to sell products, and what we can do together to create a healthier and more inclusive environment for American consumers.”
We’re happy to see Modcloth getting this kind of support for the body positive movement. “Getting to speak with Representatives Ros-Lehtinen and Capps on Capitol Hill this morning was thrilling,” Koger told HelloGiggles. “Accurate, authentic representation of women in advertising is something that ModCloth feels very strongly about and today, we were able to raise awareness in Congress for this movement. I encourage all of our community members who believe in this issue to join the letter writing campaign and help us move the conversation forward!”
Modcloth is currently in Washington, D.C. for its “ModCloth IRL Tour,” a series of pop-up shop events traveling across the country this summer.
