Dive Brief:

• American Eagle’s Aerie lingerie brand has seen a 9% sales increase since it stopped using Photoshop in its ads in January, the company said. 

• Featured models are thin and beautiful, but flaws are visible.

• By contrast, rival lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret has recently garnered criticism for its “The Perfect ‘Body’” campaign.

Dive Insight:

American Eagle’s Aerie models are hardly very flawed — they’re very pretty, super-thin, young, and effortlessly fabulous. But it’s true that the photos reveal details not often seen in apparel ads, much less ads for lingerie: Evidence of muscles and different kinds of imperfections — natural ones, like moles and irregular folds, as well as unnatural ones, like tattoos. The effect is quite refreshing, and while many will find fault with the fact that the models are still pretty darn close to perfect, it’s a step in the right direction.