Mum claims young son’s school photo was photoshopped

THIS mum was excited to see her son’s new school photos, but when she got them back they looked nothing like her boy.

Kelly, with her son Alfie, has pleaded for schools to stop airbrushing children after claiming her sons school portraits were heavily photoshopped. Picture: Caters News

KELLY imagines getting her kids’ school photos out of a forgotten box in 20 years.

She wants to be able to remember exactly how they looked when they were young, no matter how much time had passed.

So you can imagine her disappointment when she got back her son Alfie’s photos four months ago and thought they looked nothing like him.

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After forking out a $30 to get professional school portraits done, Kelly James claims she never imagined the final images would be so intensely airbrushed. Picture: Caters News

The Brisbane mum knew $130 was a lot of money to spend on photos — but decided the investment was worth it.

“I want to remember my children as they were on that day. We want to capture that moment in time and look back to how they were at that age,” the mum-of-three said.

What Kelly didn’t want to look back on was an unfamiliar young boy’s face.

But unfortunately, that’s exactly what she believes she got.

Alfie, 7, snapped by his family at home. Picture: Caters News

‘THAT’S NOT MY SON’

When the photos arrived last week, the 31-year-old was gobsmacked by the results.

“It’s not my son. It’s not the little guy I see every single day,” she said.

“I couldn’t believe how airbrushed he looked.”

Kelly said it looks like her son’s freckles had been removed and his skin smoothed out.

She believes his jaw has also been edited out and that his nose flattened so only “two nostrils in the middle of his face” remain.

“It’s just so wrong that anyone thinks they should be removed,” Kelly said.

“Little things like that are what make our kids special and unique.

“It’s so disappointing.”

The school photo mum Kelly received. Picture: Caters News

‘AIRBRUSHING KIDS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED’

Although parents might expect the lighting or the background of a school photo to be altered, Kelly thinks that editing the child’s face crosses a line.

She won’t be framing the photo because she believes photoshopping children will set them up for body image issues later in life.

“The pressure to look perfect is everywhere and now it’s even spreading to our kids. My son is only seven and should not be subjected to that,” she said.

“Airbrushing kids should not be allowed. The negative effects of photoshopping are well-known.

“They definitely shouldn’t be doing it at such a young age. It’s setting them up for self-esteem issues later in life.

“Kids today have enough pressure growing up in the world of social media where everything is filtered.

“Children are beautiful and perfect just the way they are.”