6-16 The clothing chain H&M features computer-generated models on its Web site. The company drew criticism for presenting only picture-perfect people; for example, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation accused the chain of “creating unrealistic physical ideals.” A company spokesman defended the move by explaining that these unreal bodies would ensure that the garments remain the focus of online shoppers’ attention.

In contrast, the teen-oriented magazine Seventeen pledged to always feature “real girls” in its pages.

This change was in response to an online petition that gathered nearly 85,000 signatures in just 4 days. The 14-year-old reader who posted the petition stated, “For the sake of all the struggling girls all over America, who read Seventeen and think these fake images are what they should be, I’m stepping up. I know how hurtful these photoshopped images can be.”189 What do you think of this argument—does the use of only “perfect”

bodies create a problem for real shoppers?