Warning: This Magazine Cover Can Be Dangerous To Your Health

The American Medical Association recently voted to push advertising agencies and advocacy groups to draft guidelines that discourage the use of photo retouching in teen-oriented publications.

“The appearance of advertisements with extremely altered models can create unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image,” AMA Board Member Barbara L. McAneny said. “In one image, a model’s waist was slimmed so severely, her head appeared to be wider than her waist. We must stop exposing impressionable children and teenagers to advertisements portraying models with body types only attainable with the help of photo editing software.”

AMA members said they hoped their recommendation would curb problems such as eating disorders associated with exposure to unrealistic body images.

For a gallery of photoshop disasters, visit — where else? — The New York Post.