‘Retouch free’: The effect of labelling media images as not digitally altered on women's body dissatisfaction

•Exposure to fashion shoot images leads to increased body dissatisfaction.•Labels indicating that an image has not been digitally altered were added.•Labels had no effect on body dissatisfaction or social comparison.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of ‘retouch free’ labels on thin ideal fashion images on women's body dissatisfaction. This represents an experimental analogue to current practice by some fashion magazines. Participants were 224 female undergraduates who viewed a set of fashion shoots with either no label, or a label indicating that the image had not been digitally altered. Results indicated that, although body dissatisfaction increased after exposure to the thin ideal images, there was no significant effect of label type on mood or body dissatisfaction. It was concluded that labelling images as digitally unaltered appears neither helpful nor harmful in terms of body dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, more extensive research is required to guide the most effective use of labels.