Abstract

This media ethics case study will examine an ad by Grazia Magazine (UK Edition) that was released November 13, 2011, that featured actress, Lupita Nyong’o on the cover. After the release, Nyong’o tweeted, “Disappointed that @GraziaUK edited out & smoothed my hair to fit a more Eurocentric notion of what beautiful hair looks like. #dtmh” (Nyong’o, Twitter, 2017). The TARES test, a five-step method to analyze the ethics behind ad persuasion, will be used. Those steps include, “Are the ad claims truthful? Is the ad claim authentic? Does the ad treat the receiver with respect? Is there equity between the sender and the receiver? Is the ad socially responsible?” (Patterson, Wilkins & Painter, 2019, p. 72). In addition, the utilitarianism principle will be applied to defend why it is unethical for one’s physical appearance in a photo to be altered to achieve a certain criteria or look. Furthermore, these three questions will be answered to solidify the ethical issues in this ad.

1. Micro: What is a Eurocentric definition of beauty?

2. Midrange: Who has the right to alter someone’s appearance in a photo?

3. Macro: Does the manipulation of photos effect all races or just minorities?