Unretouched Photoshoots We’ve Loved in 2018

Ashley Graham for Swimsuits For All, Zoë Kravitz for Harper’s Bazaar and Jameela Jamil for Arcadia magazine are only a few examples of unretouched photoshoots we’ve loved in 2018. Though there’s a long way to go, this year saw an unprecedented number of brands, including Urban Decay and CVS, using Photoshop-free pictures to promote their products, and the beauty of one’s natural features.

MORE: 10 Celebrities Who Called Out Magazines for Photoshopping Their Bodies

From makeup ads showing models’ pores and acne to photoshoots featuring celebrities’ cellulite and stretch marks, we’re completely here for the fashion, beauty and entertainment industry’s shift toward Photoshop-free pictures. Acne, cellulite, stretch marks and other natural beauty marks happen to every person—no matter who they are, so it’s refreshing to finally see brands celebrate that instead of hide it. Look back on the best unretouched photoshoots of 2018 ahead.

Ashley Graham for Swimsuits For All

Source: Instagram

For her 2018 collection with Swimsuits For All, Graham went unconventional with a photoshoot of paparazzi shots. To promote her designs, the model only used unretouched paparazzi pictures of her in the swimsuits, walking on a beach. The pictures, which showed Graham’s stretch marks, cellulite and other natural features, were praised by the body-positivity community for their unedited nature. “We decided to use unedited paparazzi shots as the campaign images. Reminder: being authentic is beautiful,” Graham wrote on her Instagram.

Zoë Kravitz for Harper’s Bazaar

Source: Instagram

For her October 2018 cover of Harper’s Bazaar, Kravitz went Photoshop-free with a close-up of her face, showing off her natural freckles and beauty marks. In her interview, Kravitz talked about how “scared” she was to be unretouched, which made her sad that she felt that way. “I was a little scared when they told me. What scared me most was that I was scared about it. That made me sad,” she said.

Like most celebrities, Kravitz has seen herself be photoshopped by other magazines, which made her feel insecure about certain features. “I haven’t had any drastic experiences. I did a cover of a magazine once and noticed that my eyes were this beautiful hazel-green color, which would be great, but they’re not that color!” she said. “Little things like that. I’ve seen my hands be changed before. It makes you think, ‘What’s wrong with my hands? Or my eyes?'”

Jameela Jamil for Arcadia

Source: Instagram

In October 2018, Jamil showed off her boob stretch marks in an unretouched photoshoot for Arcadia magazine. The pictures featured the actress clutching her shoulders, framing the stretch marks on her boobs in a strapless pink dress. “I like all the big stretch marks on my boobs ,” she wrote on Instagram. #saynotoairbrushing #letabitchlive.” Jamil echoed a similar sentiment on Twitter, urging her followers to “embrace” their stretch marks.” Embrace thine stretch marks. They are nothing to be ashamed of or cover up or edit out. #saynotoairbrushing #letabitchlive,” she tweeted.

Aly Raisman and Iskra Lawrence for Aerie

Source: Instagram Source: Instagram

Aerie has long been known for their unretouched campaigns, and their photoshoots in 2018 were no different. Raisaman and Lawrence were only a couple celebrities who appeared in 2018’s #AerieREAL campaign, which featured unretouched pictures of the stars in Aerie underwear. Yara Shahidi and Rachel Platten also appeared in the campaign.

“Yara, Aly, Rachel, and Iskra truly embody AerieREAL and what it means to be strong, confident, and happy in your own skin,” Jennifer Foyle, Aerie’s president, said in a statement. “At Aerie, we believe in authentic, real beauty and never airbrush our models. Now, more than ever, we want to encourage women everywhere to feel empowered to embrace their own unique qualities and beautiful REAL selves.”

Urban Decay

Source: Instagram

To promote its Born to Run eyeshadow palette in 2018, Urban Decay used unretouched close-ups of models and customers. The pictures featured the models’ pores, acne, birth marks and skin textures and was immediately praised by fans who noticed the brand’s move to celebrate unretouched beauty. “Loving the real skin, not Photoshopped to death”, one user wrote, per Cosmopolitan. Another added,  “Thank God someone has real skin.”

BooHoo

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10214810193880981&set=a.1827722385380&type=3&theater

BooHoo made headlines in 2018 when the brand showed a models’ stretch marks in an ad promoting a yellow bodysuit.  The picture featured the model in leotard-like bodysuit, with her backside to the camera, showing off her stretch marks on her thigh and butt. It didn’t take long for fans to notice and praise the brand for its push toward body positivity. “I find this so amazing! That even on a massive clothing brand like Boohoo they haven’t photoshopped away the models stretch marks!” one customer wrote on Facebook. “This is what girl power is all about! And every woman has imperfections. It shouldn’t be photoshopped away to give unrealistic expectations! Its what makes us who we are! Its reality.”

CVS

Source: Instagram

CVS Beauty was another brand that was praise in 2018 for its unretouched ads. The brand announced in April 2018 that it would stop photoshopping its models, using phrases like “Beauty in Real Life” and “Beauty Unaltered” to promote its products.

“As a woman, mother and president of a retail business whose customers predominantly are women, I realize we have a responsibility to think about the messages we send to the customers we reach each day,” said Helena Foulkes, former President of CVS Pharmacy and Executive Vice President of CVS Health, has said. “The connection between the propagation of unrealistic body images and negative health effects, especially in girls and young women, has been established. As a purpose-led company, we strive to do our best to assure all of the messages we are sending to our customers reflect our purpose of helping people on their path to better health.”

KKW Fragrance

Source: Instagram

Though Kim Kardashian has been accuse of Photoshop several times, the reality star went Photoshop-free for her latest KKW Fragrance campaign, promoting the brand’s new KKW Body fragrance. In an interview with Refinery29, Kardashian talked about her decision to use non-models, some of whom were her friends, as models for the perfume. Pictures feature the women naked, with their stretch marks, cellulite and rolls showing.

“I was talking to some friends of mine and I had seen a couple other people recreate the [original KKW Body] campaign and I just thought, You know what? It’s not always about my body. The bottle obviously is my body shape, but I always celebrate and love confident women no matter what shape or size they are,” she said.

ASOS

https://twitter.com/CallieThorpe/status/1001976948187455489

ASOS is another brand that is known for its unretouched pictures. It was praised again in 2018 when a picture of model wearing a backless dress went viral. The picture featured the model in a low-back orange dress, which showed her back rolls and natural skin. “Look at this gorgeous model and her cute back rolls just out here to show women that their bodies are normal and that real life isn’t photoshopped and filtered @ASOS” one fan tweeted.