Aerie used to use photo manipulation on its models as pictured above, but in its newest marketing campaign, it has stopped in an effort to promote ‘more realistic standards for their teen and preteen customers.’ The campaign uses the slogan ‘The real you is sexy.’

Aerie used to use photo manipulation on its models as pictured above, but in its newest marketing campaign, it has stopped in an effort to promote ‘more realistic standards for their teen and preteen customers.’ The campaign uses the slogan ‘The real you is sexy.’ Credit: Courtesy of Aerie

While Victoria’s Secret is still using its nearly perfect Photoshop skills to cover flaws in its supermodels’ photos, and Abercrombie & Fitch still holds the opinion that its clothes are most suitable for “cool kids,” American Eagle found its own way to promote new lingerie.

In its new ad campaign, American Eagle’s lingerie and apparel line Aerie has stopped Photoshopping its models. In these photos, the beauty marks, tattoos, lines, creases and puckering are all left on models’ bodies and clearly displayed.

According to “TIME,” the company said it wants to promote “more realistic standards for their teen and preteen customers.”

It immediately became one of the hottest posts on BuzzFeed and hundreds of people were celebrating this hard win against industry standards of beauty.

But does it really matter?

First of all, let’s be clear about one point: American Eagle is not some sort of charity, who thought of this idea purely from good hearts. Yes, it is so much better than Abercrombie & Fitch, but they are both essentially forms of advertising. Will it free the whole world from the pressure of body images? The answer is no.

Second, American Eagle said they stopped using Photoshop, however, some people automatically interpreted this messages as meaning they are no longer using models. Look at these models — they are still skinny and beautiful. Photoshop or not is really not a problem for them since they are already so flawless compared to most people in the real world.

But this does not mean we should not appreciate what they are doing.

For how many times, I feel self-contemptuous (maybe this word is too strong) after I view Victoria’s Secret’s website. For how many times, I start to be on an unhealthy diet just to be a little bit skinnier. For how many times, I cannot take a leap of faith only because of what I look like. And for how many times, I complain about this world, complain about this society for how they judge me from my body, my face.

I believe there are and will be certain girls who walk into Aerie’s store and see its new ads, will look themselves in the mirror and say, “The real you is sexy.”