Airbrushing School Photos: What's Your View?

Airbrushing School Photos: What's Your View?

To a parent, there are few sights sweeter than their kid's school photo. Never mind that they've still got a smidge of jam from breakfast smeared across their chops or that you forgot to iron the school polo shirt that day – we all love school pics for the way they capture our kids' true selves in all their unglamorous glory.

So imagine one mum's dismay when she realised her child's school photo had been doctored. Instead of her son's gappy grin, she spotted something amiss with the pic.

The Sun reports:

Mum-of-two Ange Pickett, from Australia, said on a blog post that her “excitement at finally receiving the boys’ school photos was quickly replaced by bewilderment”, as she spotted that teeth had been added to her son’s mouth.

She said: “Why would anyone think to do this? At what point did missing teeth because something to be ‘fixed’?”

“This is a kid who didn’t lose a tooth until he was almost seven. He’s not embarrassed by the gaps and wonky teeth, he’s excited because lost tooth = gold coin.

I've never heard of this happening closer to home but I'd be pretty darn miffed if anyone messed about with my kid's school photo. Surely the whole point of official pics at this age is capturing a moment in time, not airbrushing in someone's arbitrary idea of perfection?

And what on earth does this approach to photos teach kids? That any physical 'flaw' should be digitally removed rather than loved and lived with?

Then there's the whole question of where you draw the line – if a missing tooth has to be replaced, does that mean birth marks and spots are fair game for Photoshop too? Is it ok to change the colour of a child's eyes or hair?

Of course it's flipping not. Madness.

What's your view? Leave us a comment here or come and join the conversation over on our Facebook page.

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