allthecanadianpolitics:Model says her photo was used without consent for skin-lightening ad.The Toro

allthecanadianpolitics:Model says her photo was used without consent for skin-lightening ad.The Toronto model who appeared in a controversial skin-lightening advertisement in the TTC believes her photo was stolen and has decided to take a stand against the bleaching her likeness was used to promote.Chinthiya Rajah has been modelling for more than a decade. She says she has always been careful to read every release form twice to make sure her photos weren’t going to be used for anything but their intended purpose.“I did not sign up to do this … I’ve never worked for these guys … They look like stolen images,” she said.Rajah was featured in a TTC advertisement for lightnaturalskin.com, beside the slogan “Get brighter and lighter skin!” The website is run by the Liberty Clinic, a private integrated health clinic near Yonge St. and Bloor St.Contacted by the Star, the Liberty Clinic apologized to Rajah and explained that it bought her photo from a stock image website.“In order to protect the privacy of our patients, we do not use their facial images on marketing materials. As such, we rely on stock and medical images when producing marketing materials,” the clinic wrote in an email.Rajah’s story stands as a warning to budding models everywhere that unscrupulous photographers can resell their image to anyone and, as a result, their photo could end up anywhere.In the contentious ad, Rajah’s face is bisected; the left side has been digitally altered to show very pale skin while the right has a much darker hue.“Neither of those shades is my colour. I’m not that dark and I’m not that light. I’m brown-skinned.”Last month, Rajah was alerted to the ad by a friend who saw it in the subway and called to congratulate her on the gig. Shortly afterward, following an outcry on social media,the Liberty Clinic withdrew the ad and apologized, explaining in a statement that “the elective, natural skin treatment stated in the ad is used for medical reasons.”Rajah doesn’t buy that explanation. The Toronto-born woman of Sri Lankan descent says skin lightening is a deplorable cosmetic process, full stop.“In my culture, paler is better, but I don’t support that,” she said. “I’m the type of person that believes in embracing your skin tone no matter what your colour is.”Continue Reading. -- source link

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