PA
Young children are to be given lessons in how to spot airbrushed celebrities to try and boost their self-esteem and confidence.
A teaching pack has been produced by Media Smart in partnership with the Government Equalities Office, and will be given to primary schools to help children understand how magazines alter pictures.
The pack contains 15 slides to try and give students 'a more realistic perception of what is real and what is not'.
The pack includes images from advertising campaigns including Revlon, Maybelline and Calvin Klein, showing how the models in them have been changed.
Celebrity pictures, like those of Britney Spears in a swimming costume which show her bum and thighs slimmed down, will also be used.
Children will also be encouraged to try and spot airbrushing mistakes and errors in photographs.
Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone, said the scheme will help children recognise that 'their value is worth so much more than just their physical appearance', but the idea has come under fire from educational groups who say schools should be concentrating on traditional subjects.
Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'This is silly political correctness and ministers should know better than this,' argues Nick Seaton from the Campaign for Real Education.
'It takes time away from raising standards in important subjects such as reading, writing, maths, history and geography.'
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