Seventeen Magazine Signs ‘Body Peace Treaty,’ Promises To Stop Photoshopping Models

Earlier this year Vogue made a promise to its customers that it would ban “too skinny” models from the pages of its magazine. Seventeen Magazine has now made a similar pledge. Thanks to the petition of a 14-year-old ballet dancer, Julia Bluhm, Seventeen Magazine has issued the “Body Peace Treaty,” as well as a promise to stop photoshopping its models.

Top editor Ann Shoket said that the magazine would no longer alter a models body or face. Photoshop, instead, will strictly be used to fix an errant hair, a clothing wrinkle.

Shoket also promised that if any images are touched up that she’ll post before and after pictures on the magazine’s Tumblr page.

Lynn Grefe, the president of the National Eating Disorders Association, said that the Seventeen is taking a step in the right direction but also said that there is still a lot of work to be done. Grefe told the Washington Post:

“I’m not saying it’s a total victory…. Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Vogue, Cosmo, every magazine still has ads for diet products and other things that we find problematic, but in terms of the Photoshopping stuff, I believe that Ann is sincere and wants to really educate the consumer and work with the girls and show them what has been Photoshopped and how to recognize that.”

The Dayton Daily reports that Bluhm started a petition on Change.org asking Seventeen Magazine to stop using photoshop to change the appearance of its models. The petition quickly gathered more than 84,000 signatures and landed Bluhm a meeting with Shoket in New York. Together, they crafted the “Body Peace Treaty.”

The magazine is now asking the girls to sign the “Body Peace Treaty” and promise to treat their bodies better.

Here are some of the promises from the treaty.

• Never blame my body for the bad day I’m having.
• Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
• Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I’d never want anyone to do that to me.
• Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe…
• Realize that the mirror can reflect only what’s on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
• Know that I’m already beautiful just the way I am.
• Not let my size define me. It’s far better to focus on how awesome I look in my jeans than the number on the tag.
• Accept that beauty isn’t just about my looks. It’s my awesome personality and my energy that creates a whole, unique package.

What do you think of the Body Peace Treaty? Are you happy that Seventeen Magazine has promised to stop photoshopping its models?