Debenhams bans airbrushing for ads, and reveals tricks of the trade

Fantastic. Well done Debenhams. Women have enough trouble believing they are gorgeous without looking at a body shape that they have no hope of achieving.
Comment by Lesley on June 18 13:02

I'm so glad Debenhams have decided to this, I can't believe companies get away with all this fakery. No wonder girls develop issues with their bodies and even eating disorders. I can only hope other companies will follow in Debenhams footsteps!!
Comment by Suz on June 18 13:02

Finally about time!! More companies should do this but I bet you'll never see the beauty industry agree cos how would they sell their anti-wrinkle, firming products then!!!
Comment by Fiona on June 18 13:12

The model is naturally very beautiful. It is a pity that someone considers that her image could be improved by turning it into something unachievable. I am not alone in making purchasing decisions in favour of companies who advertise using "real beauty". Perhaps if more of us vote with our wallets the marketing industry will wake up and stop demoralising the nation!
Comment by Caroline on June 18 13:28

Thank God... Finally, someone has taken the correct course of action. As Josie stated, they have not actually done a huge amount of "work" to the already perfect model,but this is just the tip of the iceberg. I hope that all companies follow suit, including the magazines. So many women and more alarmingly children are worried about their figures these days, that it is about time we all got back to basics and recognise what is important as opposed to what is false and for most of the population unobtainable, because it is fake. Well done to Debenhams for doing the right thing!
Comment by Michelle on June 18 13:35

The model looks great in the original and really didnt need the airbrushing. In fact the 'after' picture looks like it was taken in a hall of mirrors!
Comment by Jenny Saxby on June 18 13:37

To be honest airbrushing is a bit of a red herring when it comes to unatainable body images. Havign worked as a model years ago, when airbrushing wasn't as widespread, I know that it si much easier for someone to look slim and attractive in a static photograph than in real life. The way you are positioned, the lighting, the make up, the way clothes fall (they're often safety pinned at the back to make your waist look thinner) are all controlled. I remember not recognising myself in some of those photographs! But still - I think the general public is intelligent to realise that being attractive in the real world (where the way you move, speak and relate to people all matter) is a different thing from looking good in a fashion photograph. If people have low self-esteem it's more about their own psychology and relationships than it is about photographs of models.
Comment by holly on June 18 13:38

Well done, Debenhams! Who would've thought a major high street store would finally realise we want to see what their clothes REALLY look like on a faintly normal person...
Comment by Dee on June 18 13:57

Good for them! She looks better in the un-retouched one anyway, her waist looks weird in the second picture, after it's been 'skimmed'. The only thing that looks a bit better in the second one is the hair after they've taken the flyaways off.
Comment by Katie on June 18 14:00

Brilliant well done Debenhams, about time a store was big and sensible enough to stand by normal women and make them feel better about themselves. New Slogan Pride and Sensibility for normal women.
Comment by Jenny on June 18 14:12

It's all very well, but the model looks like she has had a boob job! Either that or she's very lucky to have such an enviable cleavage when she's so slim ... Where do you draw the line?
Comment by DLKG on June 18 14:33

Yes! very pleased that Debenhams have taken a stand. Hopefully more will follow suit. There is so much pressure on young women nowadays to look perfect especially when they see the ageless celebs who claim to have had no surgery or botox. It's no wonder women are so insecure with how they look. With a good photographer and the right model there should be no need for airbrushing. I worked as an escort for 9 years and I've had around 18 photo shoots. There have only ever been a handful shots that have been airbrushed and even then it was minimal tweaks, but certainly no changes to my body shape. It's an insult to the model to have had her body shape changed so much!
Comment by Rebecca Bea Dakin on June 18 14:39

its surprising what lengths people go to, to ensure that everything is 'perfect.'

to be fair this girl is stunning before the airbrushing and if anything looks better without it.

i think as many people as possible should support this campaign asits so worth while to release natural beauty into magazines and catalogues. Its also comforting to know that these girls have normal shaped bodies, and blemishes here and there. from someone who always compares myself to ther models and celebrities out there. If celebrities could get behind this as well, and show that they are not scared to show their natural selves then things could really start changing for the better. it could be revolutionary.

Comment by Cat on June 18 15:45

I agree, fair enough if they remove a spot here and there but no one is perfectly smooth! The model has a gorgeous body, there's no way her arms or thighs needed slimming! Editing has gone too far, we want to see real people, otherwise why not just draw cartoons?!
Comment by Marie on June 18 15:48

She looks beautiful in the first picture and a bit grotesquely unnatural in the second-I don't mind airbrushing to get rid of a teenager's acne in a school photo, but reshaping like that is ridiculous.
Comment by Vivi on June 18 16:04

Well what can u say??? The before piccie is a lovely girl...if I was her I would bevery p....d that the thought was there that it was necessary...!!! b.......... ridiculous..

Comment by anon on June 18 17:49

Model looks great in the Before shot. Why would you want to air-brush a body like that?
Comment by kathy on June 18 18:39

Honestly,the model looks MUCH better in the 'before' shot; the shaving of her waist on the right looks really freaky!
Also, the removal of those natural underarm creases makes her arm look Barbie-plastic & sooo unnatural.
The only improvement is the smoothing of her hair, which could have been achieved without air-brushing; a little serum prior to taking the pic would have sorted that out.
Well done to Debenhams for stopping air-brushing. The cynical will feel that Debs have jumped on another commercial bandwagon after public reaction to those Britany before & after shots.
Maybe, but anything which slows the perpetual representation of women as 'perfect' ie unattainably slim,smooth,tanned,bust'enhanced'& unblemished to the point of looking like a cartoon/plastic version of a woman is absolutely fine by me.
The recent celebrity perfume & film poster campaigns are an example; the celebs they portray are getting less & less recognisable!
Comment by Kath on June 18 19:50

I am definitely against skimming the thighs and legs- when looking at the before shot of the legs, it doesn't make me feel too bad!
But, i don't think there's anything wrong with smoothing off her hair.
The problem comes when companies take it too far...
Debenhams taking a stand is great though!!! =D
Comment by Charlotte on June 18 20:16

The tops of her arms especially the armpits look unnatural after being air-brushed. Most people esp men would always prefer the 'natural' shape of a woman, including the odd imperfection
Comment by Cathy on June 19 08:00

I think it's great news that Debenhams are taking this stance! Well done and thanks to them! I do hope other companies decide to follow suit.

Models are already gorgeous and just don't need to be portrayed in an unattainable image that has utilised fakery (they already have great lighting and make-up on shoots anyway!).

Apart from all the highly undesirable slimming and plumping etc, I'm really fair skinned and the fact that images are often enhanced so that the model looks very tanned has always been extremely disappointing to me. The tan trend has seemed to wane a little bit in recent years, so hopefully everyone's skin tone can now be celebrated, including models with black or Asian or Oriental heritage. People from these backgrounds still need to be more represented more in fashion too!
Comment by Nat on June 19 13:09

Honestly I think that it is very clever of Debenhams... I am pretty sure that this has more to do with them needing to save some cash. I think that if it weren't for the recession perhaps they wouldn't have bothered to do this at all. Even if their intentions are not quite as good as they may seem, it is still nice to see that this has become an option. Hopefully other stores will soon follow suit.
Comment by Robyn on June 22 17:54