The French government is proposing legislation which would make it mandatory for influencers to disclose if the photos they’ve posted to social media have been filtered or edited, as well as ban them from promoting cosmetic surgery.
As reported by Women’s Wear Daily, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said in a press conference on Friday, March 24 that the move would help “limit the destructive psychological effects of these practices on Internauts’ esteem.”
“All promotion for cosmetic surgery by an influencer as part of a paid partnership will be prohibited,” he added.
“I want to say to the influencers who do not respect the law, from now on, we will have a zero-tolerance approach. No sidestepping or breaking the rules.”
La France est la première nation en Europe à mettre en place un cadre complet et des règles claires sur le secteur de l’influence commerciale. pic.twitter.com/4P3RUqBj0L
— Bruno Le Maire (@BrunoLeMaire) March 24, 2023
If an influencer decides to pull a Charli XCX and break the rules (talk about a throwback Thursday!), they face some pretty hectic consequences.
According to the bill, they could spend up to two years in jail and cop fines in excess of $48,000 (€30,000), which is a major yikes. Rule-breaking influencers also won’t be allowed to use social media or continue their careers.
I don’t know what’s worse — going to prison or not being allowed to scroll on TikTok to see what baby Rue had for lunch.
Alongside cosmetic surgery, influencers will also be banned from promoting cryptocurrency and gambling as part of paid partnerships.
Le Maire told French radio network franceinfo on Monday that the government didn’t want to stigmatise influencers, but regulations are needed to ensure they don’t go rogue on social media.
“Influencers must be subject to the same rules as those that apply to traditional media,” he said, adding that the internet shouldn’t be “the Wild West”.
In 2017, France passed a law mandating that the disclaimer “photographie retouchée” (retouched photograph) accompany online and print advertisements featuring models whose bodies have been Photoshopped.
It’s undeniable that some influencers do perpetuate negative beauty standards, and consuming wholly unrealistic content which has been heavily filtered and edited can have horrific effects on folks’ self-esteem and mental health.
Increasing transparency in advertising and social media is well-intentioned, but I don’t know if labelling manipulated images and videos will be enough to stop people from wanting to embody the unrealistic beauty standards they depict.
But hey, good on the French government for actually doing something to regulate the output of manipulated photos. Vive la France!
