A year and a half ago, American Eagle decided to stop photoshopping models for its lingerie line, Aerie.
And the results have been amazing.
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Sales climbed nearly 10 percent after Aerie began featuring ‘real’ models in their ads, which feature women of all body types including beauty marks, tattoos, and all the other ‘imperfections’ supermodel-based campaigns heavily retouch.
Aerie’s Instagram is an especially inspiring glimpse into the brand’s #AerieReal campaign.
“The purpose of ‘aerie Real’ is to communicate there is no need to retouch beauty, and to give young women of all shapes and sizes the chance to discover amazing styles that work best for them,” Aerie’s Chief Merchandising Officer Jennifer Foyle said in a statement. “We want to help empower young women to be confident in themselves and their bodies.”
AE’s decision has been so well received that #AerieReal received the National Eating Disorders Association’s first-ever NEDA Inspires “Seal of Approval” accolade.
Though the move could have been considered somewhat risky based on traditional fashion industry standards, recent counter-movements to celebrate natural beauty – like Lane Bryant’s #ImNoAngel campaign – have paved the way for endeavours like this to take off.
Earlier this year, France enacted a ban on super-skinny models from running the catwalk at fashion week.
All images courtery of American Eagle
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