Is it OK to photoshop already beautiful models, giving girls who are battling low self-esteem and eating disorders a further distorted image of what beauty is?
It is no secret that the modeling industry has always had an unrealistic idea of beauty. Models are chosen for their unique looks and Photoshop has become more important than the actual photo shoot, because it gives the industry the ability to make any “flaws”, such as stretch marks or birth marks, disappear. That is the power of photoshop. Models and actresses are constantly having their waists, arms, and legs slimmed down and sometimes even have their busts appear larger and higher. The result is people of every age seeing these images and thinking, ‘why don’t I look like that’?
Aerie, American Eagle’s lingerie line, has decided to ditch the photo editing in their latest “Aerie Real” ads in order to promote real beauty. Is this their way of taking a stand against the beauty industry or a marketing scheme to sell more bras? There is always the possibility of it being the latter, or perhaps a mixture of both, but I applaud them either way.
Last month I received a coupon in the mail and was very surprised and excited when I read they ditched the editing. I saw women who had tattoos, birth marks, and some extra skin around their stomachs, things that most people have. And guess what? They were still beautiful.
Jenny Altman, Aerie’s style and fit expert spoke about the campaign in a January interview with ABC News’ Juju Chang, “We hope by embracing this that real girls everywhere will start to embrace their own beauty.”
Those real girls are pretty excited.
Sarah Harris, a Hofstra University sophomore thinks ‘it is a wonderful idea’, saying, “They are setting a new standard that is realistic for young women in the U.S. and not the unnatural expectation the fashion industry has created.”
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said senior Kristin Mathis. “It shows that women can still be beautiful without being unrealistically retouched.”
Sophomore Rebecca Celorio agreed stating, “It gives girls a more representative image of beauty.”
Some women, however, are looking at the campaign negatively. In the comment section of Good Morning America’s article on Chang’s interview, women were divided. One reader even said she hates that the company claims to be using “real women” when they are still using models.
But really, does the fact that the company is still using models affect its message? It is unrealistic to believe any company would take normal girls off the street for their advertisements when there are men and women who dedicate themselves to the industry as a way of making a living. You would not ask an average Joe to take the place of your surgeon, would you?
This is a step in the right direction for the company and hopefully for the industry as a whole will follow. If other companies decide to ditch the edits as well, maybe girls everywhere would stop criticizing themselves in the mirror on a daily basis.
What do you think of Aerie going sans-artbrush for their spring ad campaign? Let us know in the comments below, Hofstra collegiettes.