Effective Oct. 1, Getty Images iStock informed contributors via email that they cannot submit "any creative content depicting models whose body shapes have been retouched to make them look thinner or larger."

The move is in reaction to a new French law that obligates clients who use commercial images to disclose whether the body shape of a model has been retouched to make them look thinner or larger, the email states. The law goes into effect Oct. 1, according to the email, which was entitled "RE: Important Information on Retouched Images — Legal Update."

Retouching images is a common practice in the media business but this development comes when public conscientiousness regarding weight and image is undergoing a radical shift.

Getty Images is a stock photography source for media outlets across the globe. Getty photographers, whose work is well respected in the industry, often are given top consideration at major events.

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A Getty spokeswoman, Anne Flanagan, said the guidelines also apply to staff and contributing photographers who submit creative content for commercial use as of Oct. 1.

"Images illustrate and reflect the events of our world today and therefore have a responsibility to be delivered to the customer with accuracy and impartiality," the existing policy states.

Getty's editorial policy requires images to be accurate, but this is the company's first guideline that addresses retouching for creative content, Flanagan said via email.

"We have been passionate about elevating the ways in which people are portrayed by the media and we have been very clearly communicating this to our contributing photographers," she said Tuesday. "In fact, we’ve seen a trend towards stepping away from the hyper-airbrushed, perfect images of the past and a growing demand for intersectional realism."

The policy shift undoubtedly will have significant repercussions across the industry and possibly beyond in the days to follow.

"Other changes made to models like a change of hair color, nose shape, retouching of skin or blemishes, etc., are outside the scope of this new law, and are therefore still acceptable," the email states.

The National Press Photographers Association, a professional society that promotes high standards in visual journalism, also has its own standards: "Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context."

The NPPA code urges photographers to "not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects."

Follow Jai Agnish on Twitter: @jaiagnish