Definitive Proof That Photoshopping Models Is Bad for Business

It has been over two years since lingerie brand Aerie launched their #aerieREAL campaign featuring unretouched photos of women in a range of sizes not commonly seen in lingerie advertising. 

Aerie earned a mountain of good press at the time and the campaign established the brand as something of a pioneer in the body-positivity movement. The question was, how would all that good press actually affect their bottom line? Would the same consumers praising the campaign on Twitter and Facebook actually go into the stores and buy the stuff?

According to financial documents release by Aerie's parent company, American Eagle Outfitters, the answer is a resounding "YES!" 

In 2015 alone, Aerie's overall profits increased by 20 percent, with a 26 percent increase in the all-important fourth quarter of the year, which includes the holiday shopping season.  

Too many companies these days sell clothes in sizes they would never dream of featuring in their ad campaigns or fashion shows, which is both disrespectful and, as these numbers prove, bad for business. Here's hoping more brands follow in Aerie's footsteps. If they don't, they'll only have themselves to blame when they see their own profits begin to drop. 

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