Some have still criticized ASOS for the thinness of its swimsuit models generally. Un-retouched or not, most of those on its site are still skinnier than average. The brand also recently drew fire for labeling a UK size 10 as “Large,” which some shoppers saw as a form of body shaming, though ASOS said it was a technical glitch. But more broadly, the brand does have a history of embracing a range of body sizes, even in the case of swimsuits.

Denise Bidot for Target
True to life.
Image: Target

Target unveiled its own body-positive swimwear campaign in March. “We wanted to represent swim in a way that’s true-to-life, and traditional retouching just didn’t jibe with that idea,” the company said. In the images, Target skipped the usual steps of reshaping a models’ curves and editing out stretch marks.

The push toward body positivity has been gaining momentum in skin-baring categories such as swimwear and lingerie for a few years. Lingerie label Aerie said its sales surged after it stopped retouching its ads, and Lane Bryant took on Victoria’s Secret’s group of supermodel “angels” a few years ago with a body-positive advertising campaign featuring curvy models by the name of #ImNoAngel.

For any number of women who live in an un-photoshopped world, images of models with markings and natural variations on their bodies have been a welcome addition to the normal run of highly manufactured fashion photography.

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