A mother has voiced her concerns on Twitter after her eight-year-old child’s annual school photograph included options of “basic and premium retouching” packages. The services offered were blemish removal, evening skin tones, and teeth whitening.
Sam Walker, a radio journalist who previously worked at the BBC in the UK before relocating to Phoenix, Arizona, voiced her concerns online after spotting the options on a school form. Following options for parents to select the sizing of their images and whether they wanted a digital copy, they were presented with retouching packages. Anyone choosing the basic set will see blemishes removed, while the premium bundle goes as far as evening out skin tones and whitening of the child’s teeth.
Posting an image of the form online, Walker’s tweet sparked outrage on the social media site. Many questioned what kind of message it sends to young children, with one claiming she was “worr[ied] what Instagram is doing to kids.” Supernanny Jo Frost responded to the Tweet, writing: “That’s absolutely disgusting!! Yes WTF”
Walker did not disclose the school in question, nor how much the packages cost. She says she made a formal complaint to the school.
Metro US has contacted Sam for further comment. So far, no word back.
No, that's called corruption. Communism doesn't specify any of that.
Ok, if it’s not what you’re saying explain yourself. Because all I’m reading is that “this should not happen”. So who decide what is ok and what is not. And please don’t go with common sense. Because common sense says that it is option that you can choose or not. And I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be offered if such a service is available. I’m not professional photographer but I’m business person. And if it’s possible I’ll always show what I can do and get payed for. Than it’s on customer to decide if he wants my services and which one.
What the??? I mostly see people here who think options are good but clearly don't understand the technical process when it comes to such massive volume of orders and prints and the delivery timeframe. It's actually the opposite of what you wrote. These school portraits businesses offer additional services that don't apply to most kids, but it can be good for some, no one denies it. The lady exposed her fears of uniformity (similar to your communism) and feel each kid is unique and should not be turned into the next kid or number. Do you think the studio will tell the parents - your kid does not need this extra service, here is your money back? Most likely after the photographer turns in the files, no one even sees the process and finished orders until after it's printed on a continuous roll with hundred to thousand more orders then trimmed and packaged with a tracking number. But people don't really understand what the extra service is and feel like they need it. In fact, they don't even see the picture before the process to see how the generic and extra the famous "OPTION" compare. Communism? this is pure capitalism. Some manipulator has done a great job at turning this into an "option" debate. This is creme de la creme ridiculous.
I'm not going to order the retouching "option" for your pleasure, but have you ever seen my kids pictures and the effects applied? I have.
Nor should they have access to smartphones or Instagram. Or R rated films but many do.
Have you considered the people that are not so perfect looking with pretty skin that are harassed on a daily basis for conditions they cannot control? Someone like my husband who has seborrheic dermatitis, that has had it since he was 4 years old(albeit controlled now), and how he was relentlessly harassed for having it.His 6th grade photo he was suffering a major outbreak of it and it shows in that photo, but no retouching offered then, and he WOULD have gotten it. I suppose he's wrong for wanting to look more 'normal', right?
What about the child that might have ringworm on their face? Allergic dermatitis? Cystic acne? Bruises or scars that may be embarrassed from them? So, because you're on a soapbox and scream at the top of your lungs that this is an immoral option they shouldn't get it if THEY or their parents want it, even though it might make them feel better?
Your condemnation of something that IS OPTIONAL, not OBLIGATED, shows how utterly ignorant you are of the world in which we live in, and those suffering from skin conditions outside of their control. It's appalling and disgusting that you have the audacity to sit there and act like this is purely for vanity reasons, that it is psychologically damaging and not consider what other people not in your perfect little world may be going through mentally due to bullying. But keep spouting that ignorant pious bullcrap as if you're the authority of morality.
Check my last name, you can only imagine the bullying I got as a kid. Guess what, my kids have the same, I didn't have it changed because of what I went through! and guess what my son is a senior and, yes, he survived it!
Shielding is not a solution but the trend is making people look and act like what they are not, the bully wins.
Congratulations that *you* overcame it. I guess we should all be so lucky, but that is not the case.You cannot say that someone should not be shielded and they should overcome something because *you* did. Your last name is not the same as a medical condition. My maiden name was Pike, and I was called Pike the DYKE throughout my school years, beaten up, bullied daily. But I would never take that right from someone that might want to actually make themselves feel a little better.
Oh I could tell you the story of my life too. However, I'll give it back to you: Thanks for the congratulations.
So then the kid can just walk around with the photo stuck in front of their face... Simple, no more bullying. Nice photos solve everything!
Obviously you, much like Benoit, do not grasp the reason behind offering it. It's not a matter of covering it up, or hiding it, it is changing perception of a period of time when they may have been emotionally impacted. It does negate the bad, however, it's impact in perceiving those emotional times are lessened. But eh... you pious people are so righteous!
Why would you want to retrospectively change the perception of yourself? I was fat(ter than I am now) all throughout school, it wasn't fun or easy. I look back at photos of myself and think "look how much fatter I was then". I'm not sure that airbrushing my photos to make me slimmer would positively impact the current me in any way...
It's either British humour or total lack of understanding. I take the two options.
The photographer in question, you keep coming back at this but clearly can't elaborate. It's clear by now that you do NOT know anything about this part of the industry in the US. So here it is, they make $12 an hour, a studio manager $38k a year. $12 is about minimum wage in the US, not sure about the UK. This is public you can search it yourself. Those photographers don't own the business and the ads for new employees are permanent features in any city. Just search "portrait photographer needed in___ " just name a US city. This is a canned job where they are trained to do only one thing all day. Call anyone an idiot, but don't forget to write your name at the top of the list with any option you'd like. Here is a link for you - feel free to go direct to the last chapter and may be learn one thing today if you can. Too smart to realize you are the biggest idiot today. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/nyregion/20retouch.html
I think you'd best stick to raising your own children rather than telling others how to raise theirs. There are any number of things that parents can do (both positive and negative) in the raising of their child and regardless of how you may feel about it, it's their prerogative as how they want to raise them (obviously within legal bounds). The fact is that we're not born equal and people are going to have different types of upbringings be it in the form of economic factors or instilled values. If you get "bad" parents, that's too bad, but that's how the world works. It's the luck of the draw.
Besides, it's not as if this is a service that's incredibly difficult to find. Parents who will select this option are likely already using any number of freely available apps to do this anyway. I wouldn't select any of these options since I happen to appreciate looking back at my school photos and seeing how I actually looked in a given year, but not everyone is me.
I'd be curious to know if you offer retouching services as part of your photography. After all, it's not only children that can suffer from psychological effects from the "perfect: images that they're constantly presented. Do you stick by your guns and refuse to offer any retouching services to do your part in preventing the perpetuation of this unrealistic imagery that damages peoples' psyche?
Well, its an option.
One example I have is not with school photos, but could be applied.
I had a 10 year old boy brought in by his mother for portfolio shots for acting. Good kid, but he is a 10 year old boy. He had bruises not noticed before hand, he was getting over a cold, so there was that issue as well. Minor stuff that a 10 year boy gets into and causes temporary blemishes or sights not needed or wanted to be seen for the next how many years. Of course I cleaned this stuff up, would have felt like I wasn't doing my job, or giving them the service that they wanted if I didn't.
To me, it doesn't matter whether school portraits or portraits for some other reason, people are paying to capture them at their best. If that means correcting temporary human physical "blemishes", so be it.
Its not a social issue as far as I'm concerned, just a photographer offering options, and trying to capture the costs within his services.
My 6 year old just had his school pictures taken. His form had this as an option, as it was a standard form that they use for all schools. I didn't check the box, and somehow both my son and I survived. And if he had recently crashed his bike and scraped up his face, as kids tend to do, I probably would have checked the box, and taken my own pictures of him and his scrapes.
So, in the group picture; some kids paying will have PS done where other not?
The final result will be funny to check.
I would have thought school photos would be the perfect place for such a service. The visual appearance of a child changes often and in a heartbeat, with food on their faces, bumps and scratches, marks from errant pens, small sores etc.
A school photo captures what the child looks like in a split second, including any temporary marks they have that day. I can understand why a parent would want those things removed, to have a photo of their child as they usually appear naturally, rather than as they happened to appear in the moment of the photo.
This is a completely different issue to the unrealistic beauty and body image standards promoted via changing body structures and the like, which does have a damaging impact. If parents want an errant toast crumb or scratch removed from their child's school photo then I don't see why they should be demonised for it.
LOL, talk about makin' a mountain out of mole hill. Some folks acting like the OPTIONAL retouching service is going to change the kids' face and body shape. Well, it's not.
I think part of the problem is that dipshit Sam Walker thinks "evens skin tone" (or that retouching service in general) is the same as airbrushing. Well, it's not.
What 8 year old is going to be filling out that STANDARD form and seeing the retouching options? Well, they're not.
Maybe Sam thinks the world revolves around her and her children. Well, it doesn't.
Block them from magazines, TV, makeup stores, pageants, competitions and whatever else might hurt the parents feelings who know better than anyone else. Oh yeah forgot about Taylor Swift.
Outrage culture is getting more ridiculous every day. This is an optional service offer. Nobody's forced to use it.
You need to realize that she comes from overseas where people don't send a dollar as a sign of approval each time a corporation tell the consumer - fall for it.
Additionally, Yes, people will take this option despite having a boy or girl with perfect skin because they are not familiar with it and want to be on the safe end. Grand parents, forget it, they have no clue and will pay just to make sure they do what's best for their grand kids. ... but sure you are right it is an option.
This story aside, I wish the term "political correctness" would go away.
No one to be taken seriously is actually outraged by this. I mean... Twitter? It's just another example of people screaming at the world for the way it is and expecting it to fit them like a glove, rather than adapting to it. What's easier to control, the world or your reaction to it? I have a young daughter and it'll be up to me to teach her to have a healthy view of things like this.
This is what happens when vendors try to monetize people's insecurities. Do the parents fall for the trap of Influencers, Instagram, Tik Tok or any other false representation of the perfect life? I realize that children are acting older than they are but why add more pressure? Hey, school portrait company...f'c$n' mint!
Personally I think it's gross and would never offer to retouch a child's photo. However in an age where I see parents posting 'filtered' photos of their babies to Instagram (there are some of my friend's children who I've not seen a photo of without some sort of filter applied) should we just give up and give people what they want, regardless of our moral take on it?
Giving up on reality and make Idiocracy an official thing? I have to think about that one.
So if a kid comes in for a schedule appointment with a mosquito bite or a scrape from a fall, you're going to refuse to retouch that if requested if the parent requested it?
Are we missing the point that this is clearly a mass produced form, which means kindergartners as well as seniors get the same form. Little kids may not care about this, but senior photos, hell most high schoolers, may care and want their photos to look the best.
This is outrage for outrage sake. We going to get mad because a restaurant menu offers alcohol and children can order off that menu?
School picture? Shouldn't they get a pro session locally rather than a flat look if that's a concern?
Get a pro session locally? Who the hell are you to say what they should or shouldn't do? For some (or many), the school photos are good enough. While others may opt to hire a pro. It's up to them, not you. You seem to fail to grasp the concept of "optional" and "choice". You continue to make these asinine arguments.
Who am I? What are the options? Lol
Haha, are you sure you want me to come up with a list. :P
I touch up photos of kids all the time - removal of scabs and boogers mostly.
There's a great episode of 30 Rock where Jon Hamm (Mad Men) lives in this bubble... people are constantly giving him things and letting him get away with murder, because he's so good looking. The best part is he's completely oblivious to all of it hahaha.
Another soccer mom with nothing else to do. Do you really think kids at age eight give a toss; or even remember what they looked like 20 years from now, zits and all? We're talking school mug shots here, not some ridiculous "beauty pageant" or worse.
Right, Edison Wrzosek are you still here or did you finally leave. where do I begin, your arrogance is unappreciated here in this forum and as such you are being that of just a mere troll, "EVERYONE" is entitled to an opinion it is after all freedom of speech, we have heard what you wanted to say on your little soap box.
We as photographers provide a service, The schools here in Florida, at least where I live offer retouching of photographs, the form you have shown is obviously a generic one size fits all form, they are not going to change the forms for each of the ages of the kids. That is now ridiculous and a WASTE of paper and ink resources.
I have asked multiple parents their thoughts on retouching services of their children's school photos.
The majority said they would not, it is not for everyone but the "option" is there and it "should" be there.
if you don't want retouching services "DON'T CHECK THE BOX" it's that simple.
It's like the story that Ricky Gervais talks about with the village guitarist offering guitar lessons and there is a phone number on the poster/flyer to set up lessons, but you Edison Wrzosek would be that one person to call up complaining to the guitarist, well I don't want any lessons, ok it's not for you, but don't call and bitch about it to the point that no one else can get guitar lessons.
If you don't agree with something then it is not for you, don't check the options box, but don't fight to take that right away from others who may want a service that is provided.
Let me say this, I agree with not retouching out (or in) and change the key character traits of that child, ie if little johnny is missing a front tooth, that is a phase in his life where as humans we lose our baby teeth and as such it is a normal thing, I certainly would not Photoshop in another tooth to fill the gap, that moment in little johnny's life is a milestone and should be embraced as such, as with any birth marks, freckles, moles etc anything that is a permanent part of that child's character should not be retouched.
However what about if your child got scratched by the family pet the night before, or your child breaks out with a cold sore etc. Now I agree with having an image retouched as I am sure other photographers and parents on here do too, especially juniors and seniors, after all these images end up in year books.
Edison Wrzosek: QUOTE: Your responses show a complete lack of awareness of the rampant negative impact such artificially-inflated beauty standards are having on children this young. What about the parents who put makeup on their 8 year olds for dance competition or pageants, I'm sure these parents are all over the check box for retouching.
Really, is there really nothing of significance going on in "Your" life that you have to interrupt others with your ideology and ways on the rest of us, why don't you blame GI Joe and Barbie as well while you are on that soap box, or complain about snap chat filters, or the impact of video games are having or the explicit lyrics in music, etc etc etc sorry I think I just fell asleep there for a second, let me guess you think the world is flat too huh. Oh wait lets ban assault rifles too, because it is the guns that kill people, not people killing people.
You also said "I have many friends with children, and NOT ONE of them believe this is appropriate in the slightest".
I have to disagree, you obviously don't have many friends or have not spoken to a large number of people, I have spoken to 10 people about this and 3 of them were ok with retouching, Obviously a number of people have "asked" for retouching services otherwise it would not be a check box on a form that I'm guessing is nationwide.
You also said that your comments "have been centered solely around the sociological aspect of offering such a modification to someone as young as 8 years old.
This is not sociology in here or politics or religion keep that stuff where it belongs on those forums, Last time I checked 8 year olds are not paying for the photos or filling out the forms in question, it is the parents, like I said earlier these "FORMS" are for all years of school.
Here is just an example of why I'm ok with retouching as long as it's done properly and tastefully.
Just last weekend my 16 year old niece had her Junior homecoming dance and then the day of her dance discovered she had a cold sore emerging on her lip, she was devastated, I told her not to worry about it, try and conceal it as best she can with make up, but the issue itself was the cold sore to the point of the stigmata associated with it that was causing her to not want to go to the dance at all.
Again a cold sore is a virus, it is a normal human condition, a lot of people get them, what are we supposed to do, tell her not to "hide/retouch" her issue with make-up, her confidence was crushed because of this cold-sore, make-up saved the day and allowed her to still go to her dance, it gave her the confidence she needed. She had a good time.
For me when I was growing up it was not the "Photography" that was an issue, it was the pimples, or someones hair colour, (I know first hand about this as I have red hair and I lived in the UK and it was brutal, my parents helped me through those tough years, now when I look in magazines and see models with red hair and the latest hair color trends are for red or Auburn color, I think back and ask why was that such a big deal back then, I was called all the names under the sun and as such I heard every one of them, it thickened my skin and my resolve over the years), or if you wore glasses, even down to the brand of TENNIS (Trainers to us UK folk) shoe this is the negative aspect of School and a social setting.
The bullying aspect because someone is different it will always be an issue through all generations, it's because we as humans are individuals, yet everyone is expected to conform to one type or another stereotype that is the problem, it is our job as parents to toughen our kids up against this and let them express their individuality, to be great humans.
Thank you for reading and listening to others views, your view was heard with in this community. Have a great weekend.
Holy shit. This response is longer than most articles on this site.
Needed to be said. I, on the other hand, would have condensed it to three words, one of which is “off”. Call a spade a spade.
Wow, wow, wow, are you talking about school pictures or portraiture or private senior pictures? Please make it clear. When I read your book, the thing that comes to my mind is the meat grinder from the Pink Floyd video. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat? Not sure how kids survived and turned to adults in the UK, but I'm sure these adults live perfectly normal lives after all.
Let's legalise nuclear weapons for civilians, if it's people that kill people, and not nuclear weapons?
Amazing, how some people here on the board are obsessed with child protection! Oh, it sends bad signals out to kids! I agree. But did you think about protecting your kids, when you bought them their first iPad at the age of three, when you allowed them to become addicted to social media, when you let your 10 olds open their own youtube channel, where they do all sorts of silly things, only to gain what is the currency of our times: Likes and follower? Did you not think about how this, and does affect your childrens development, as they become addicted to immediate gratification, that makes them feel better, more valued, and makes them feel worse, if it doesn't come?
Have you ever thought about how a child is going to grow up, if it has learned from early on to derive its value from the amount of followers and klicks it has? Aren't we already seeing the negative effects it has on our children, where young girls commit suicide, because they haven't learned to feel god about themselves WITHOUT their likes and followers online?
Come on, you righteous people, whitening a childs teeth on a photo is nothing against what you parents do to your kids every day by allowing them to get absorbed in a completely dysfunctional and harmful virtual world, that teaches them nothing but false values!