Former anorexia sufferer: Airbrushing should be banned

Rachael Johnston - during and after recovering from anorexia

At one point in early 2009, Rachael Johnston weighed 28kg (4.5 stone) and was wearing clothes made for nine-year-olds.

The 21-year-old from Warrington suffered from anorexia throughout her teenage years and had been given 48 hours to live.

She says her eating disorder was made worse by photoshopped pictures of celebrities in magazines.

Now healthy again, she and her mum Lynne have started an online petition to get airbrushing in photos aimed at children and young people banned.

"What I've said is, you aim for a ban and then, if a ban doesn't happen, at least you can talk about putting a logo or a description next to it," she said.

"I'd be happy for a logo to be put next to [a photo] to warn readers it's been airbrushed.

"Not everyone can tell if a picture's been airbrushed."

'Hiding things'

Rachael first started developing anorexia at the age of 13 after her grandmother died and she started being bullied at school.

After dieting for two years, she was admitted to hospital in March 2007 after collapsing at home.

She then spent five months on a ward in 2009 before slowly returning to full health.

Rachael now visits schools to try to warn young people about the dangers of eating disorders but says many children don't believe that some celebrity photos are airbrushed.

"I do think it will [help]," she said. "It's aiming it at the younger, more vulnerable people that actually don't realise.

"I go into schools and the young people say, 'They've not been airbrushed. You're just saying that.'

"I'm trying to make other people a bit more aware and to open their eyes a bit more about the world of anorexia and eating disorders."

Rachael says that at one point she she was buying hundreds of celebrity magazines a week.

"All my pocket money was going on magazines," she said.

"My mum and dad didn't even realise what I was buying because I was buying them on the way to school.

"You get very secretive when you get an eating disorder or struggle with your image. You're really good at hiding things."