Dangerous Design

Popular clothing brand Ralph Lauren caused a lot of controversy last year when they released this photo of model Filippa Hamilton that has been obviously and unnaturally photoshopped. By digitally slimming this model to grotesque and impossible proportions, the company is sending out a very warped message that is in many ways, dangerous and detrimental to society.

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When designing ads, companies often use photoshop as a tool to smooth edges and fix any small imperfections. When this technology is abused like it was in the image above, the resulting design can warp the viewer's own sense of beauty and perfection. 

This design obviously depicts a woman wearing Ralph Lauren clothes, who has an unbelievably small waist, extremely narrow hips, and super-thin legs. This is a very dangerous image to send into a world of impressionable minds because it proposes the idea that there are women in the world that look like this and that they are the ones that can wear these expensive clothes. 

Unfortunately, this type of message can have a substantial effect on the psyche of this design's target audience, young women. Even those of us who were quick to realize that this picture was fake are left with the sad thought that this company felt this already thin, and beautiful model wasn't good enough to represent them. This type of insensitive marketing leads to the all too common qualities of low self-esteem and negative self-image. Although these effects may not have been the goal of the company, the designers of this advertisement were well aware of its deceiving appearance; they did use a computer to create her body after all.

The fashion world makes its money by showing us beautiful women, but when they show something like this to us they are simply being reckless. Design should aim to better society, not damage it. I feel companies like this have a responsibility to depict women who look naturally beautiful, healthy, and most importantly real.