The UK’s Debenhams department store is abandoning photoshop for swimsuit season. Instead, the retailer will be placing unaltered images in their windows with a sign saying: “We’ve not messed with natural beauty; this image is unairbrushed. What do you think?”. Debenhams creative and visual director, Mark Woods, explained their anti-airbrushing choice: “As a responsible retailer we want to help customers make the most of their beauty without bombarding them with unattainable body images. Our campaign is all about making women feel good about themselves – not eroding their self belief and esteem by using false comparisons. Not only does it make sense from a moral point of view, it ticks the economic boxes as well. Millions of pounds a year are spent by organisations retouching perfectly good images. As a rule we only airbrush minor things like pigmentation or stray hair and rely on the natural beauty of models to make our product look great. We are proud to bring the issue of re-touching into the main stream when the likes of Britney Spears and Madonna are using unairbrushed but over-lit images as a shock tactic.” The new airbrush-free campaign made its debut in Debenham’s Oxford Street windows this week. But before going wide with their new campaign, employees will be asking customers for feedback. Not a bad idea. Maybe other retailers will catch on.
Article by Cocoperez.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I love this! I am really thrilled that Debenhams (and Mark Woods) is raising the standard of integrity for real and honest beauty. I hope this becomes a lasting trend! I think that women and men will appreciate seeing more realistic models, especially on such a vulnerable issue such as swimsuits. Completely amazing…. I would be even more thrilled if Debenhams decides to continue using non-airbrushed photos even after the swimsuit season ends. This is also the same department store that got curvy mannequins a while ago. This is something that Debenhams is passionate about and it shows that they care about their customers’ well-being. SO awesome!!!
About The Author
Patricia Colli, Editor of Beutiful Magazine, is a human rights activist, equality advocate, and promoter of health, acceptance and wellbeing. Having experienced disordered eating, unhealthy exercise patterns and poor body image, she is especially passionate about shedding light on eating disorders and the power of body acceptance.
Leave a Comment