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AMA Votes To Fight Against Unrealistic Body Image Promotion

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The American Medical Association at its annual meeting in Chicago Tuesday took aim at ads that promote unrealistic body images.

As WBBM Newsradio 780's Lisa Fielding reports, the AMA says it is particularly concerned about ads directed at kids. Dr. Barbara McAneny said in one ad, a model's downsized waist looks smaller than her head.

She says such advertisements make kids want unattainable body types.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Lisa Fielding reports

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"The appearance of advertisements with extremely altered models can create unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image. In one image, a model's waist was slimmed so severely, her head appeared to be wider than her waist," Dr. McAneny said in a news release. "We must stop exposing impressionable children and teenagers to advertisements portraying models with body types only attainable with the help of photo editing software."

The AMA voted to encourage advertising associations to work on developing guidelines that would discourage promoting unrealistic body images – particularly in teen-oriented publications.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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