Flip through the beauty pages of your favourite glossy and you might end up feeling worse than you did before you picked it up.
With photo shopped celebs, circled cellulite and new ‘wonder’ products that cost a week’s wages in every issue, surely it’s time for a change?
How many beauty editors do you think would sign this pledge?
The Beauty Editor’s Pledge
I do solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that, on becoming a beauty editor, I will not…
1. Put red circles around cellulite
2. Make PR companies my bedfellow
3. Drink champagne/eat canapes/fly 1st class / or be massaged/plucked/made up for free without telling the reader
4. Intentionally use awful lighting for ‘before’ pictures and photo shop‘after’ pictures in makeover pieces
5. Give products from advertisers/over enthusiastic gifters undue prominence
6. Circle wrinkles
7. Promote products which I know to be ineffective
8. Treat interns as second class citizens
9. Feast on the insecurities of the public to boost sales of products and in turn the magazine
10. Banish ethnic minorities/those size 12 and over from the beauty pages
11. Allow free champagne to cloud my judgement
12. Let SEO, related links and pop up adverts take over my online content
Phoebe Parke 