Norway Law Forces Influencers to Label Retouched Photos on Instagram
Legislators in Norway have passed new regulations requiring influencers and advertisers to label retouched photos in a bid to fight unrealistic beauty standards.
Under the recently-passed rules, advertisements where a body’s shape, size, or skin has been retouched—even through a filter before a photo is taken—will need a standardized label designed by the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. Examples of manipulations requiring labeling include enlarged lips, narrowed waists, and exaggerated muscles, but it’s not clear if the same will apply to adjustments of lighting or saturation.
The law also covers images from influencers and celebrities if they “receive any payment or other benefit” in relation to the post, including on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Twitter. Any violations are punishable with escalating fines and, in extreme cases, even imprisonment.
The move comes amidst continued public debate in Norway surrounding “kroppspress” (literally “body pressure”), which very roughly translates to beauty standards. In its proposal to the Norwegian parliament, the Ministry of Children and Family cites studies that found what it calls "body pressure," or beauty standards, to be pervasive and a contributing factor to low self-esteem in young people.
