By Jenna Barbone
Many popular clothing stores such as Victoria’s Secret are best known for their flawless airbrushed models that are intended to represent the “perfect image” and to sell their products. These figures do not only advertise their clothing but also persuade customers to think this appearance is necessary. Most of these models are Photoshopped and airbrushed. Girls are influenced by these picture-perfect women on a regular basis to try and achieve the “flawless” look that not even the real models can achieve without Photoshop.
Aerie, the lingerie and apparel store by American Eagle, has taken a different path when it comes to editing their models. Aerie’s catalog models are completely natural and represent what “real” girls looks like. The company stated on their website, “We think it’s time for a change. We think it’s time to get real and think real. We want every girl to feel good about who they are and what they look like, inside and out. This means no more retouching our girls and no more supermodels.”
Aerie’s new campaign has inspired teens to believe there is no such thing as a perfect image; it’s slowly changing the way society thinks and strives to make a change. Teens follow the new trend by using #AerieReal to post non-edited pictures of themselves on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. Aerie also has added a new slogan on their shopping bag stating, “The girl with this bag has not been retouched.”
A Facebook user wrote on Aerie’s page, “Not retouching has such a big effect and really helps girls appreciate themselves… I’m only a teenager, and I’ve always felt that beauty standards are extremely unfair in our society, not retouching is definitely a step in the right direction, thank you Aerie.” Teens are not the only ones that agree with the new campaign but also the models. One of Aerie’s models stated in an interview with E! News, “To recreate a human being using a computer process is a bit of an attack on who you naturally are… if I’m not good enough or if I’m not beautiful enough, then why book me?”
Smithtown East Junior Olivia Recine, shared “These ‘flawless’ models we see in magazines have become a real problem. It causes girls to become insecure and develop eating disorders. I’m glad Aerie has made a change.” Even though many girls support this new movement, guys who respect the brand American Eagle do too; Junior Joey Stopsky shared, “I think it’s smart what American Eagle is doing. It’s good that they are showing teens what a real body looks like rather than a Photoshopped body.”