Seventeen magazine's 'real girls' pledge sparks ‘revolution' as Teen Vogue becomes new target

A mere week after teen publication Seventeen vowed to "always feature real girls and models who are healthy," Teen Vogue has become the target of new demonstrations in what has been dubbed "the beginning of a revolution."

Back in April, US teenager Julia Bluhm made the headlines when she staged a demonstration outside Seventeen‘s offices and organized a petition warning Seventeen to stop digitally altering models' faces and bodies.

Following her meeting with Bluhm, Seventeen editor-in-chief Anne Shoket responded by publishing a new "Body Peace Treaty" in the teen glossy's August issue promising to "always feature real girls and models who are healthy" and "never change girls' body or face shapes."

Now, teenagers Carina Cruz and Emma Stydahar of advocacy group SPARK, of which Bluhm is also a member, have launched a similar petition on Change.org asking Teen Vogue to "Follow Seventeen's example and pledge not to alter any model's body or face and to celebrate beauty in all its forms."

"This is huge; the beginning of a revolution in the way girls see themselves across the girls' magazine industry," write the pair, whose petition has already received nearly 28,000 signatures.

Teen Vogue‘s PR director Erin Kaplan has already released a response, stating it features "dozens of non-models and readers every year" that remain untouched, but Cruz and Stydahar, along with other SPARK members, want a public commitment against Photoshop to be made in the publication.

"We hope to meet with (Teen Vogue editor-in-chief) Amy Astley and Teen Vogue editors on Wednesday to discuss if and when they'll let their readers know that they'll commit to not altering faces and body sizes and to including diversity in their pages," fashionista.com quoted Stydahar as saying July 10.

See their pledge here: http://www.change.org/petitions/teen-vogue-give-us-images-of-real-girls