Breaking the illusion: The effects of adding warning labels identifying digital enhancement on fashion magazine advertisements

The link between exposure to thin ideal images in the media and negative psychological impacts for women has been the focus of extensive, previous research. This link has led to recent research investigating potential avenues to mitigate these impacts by incorporating a warning label or disclaimer on fashion advertisements. In this research, the impact of incorporating a warning label in fashion advertisements on mood negativity, self-esteem and body satisfaction was investigated. Additionally measured were participants’ purchase intentions towards the product and reactions to the models and products in the advertisements. Results indicate that only body satisfaction was significantly impacted by the addition of a warning label and that participants had very different responses to models and products. Responses ranged from models influencing participants to buy products to indifference to models. Participants tended to evaluate products in terms of their fit to the participant’s personal style. Future research may want to investigate warning label wording choice and diverse samples of viewing audiences in relation to this topic.