Aerie Gets Eating Disorder Seal of Approval

The National Eating Disorders Association has issued its Inspires seal of approval to Aerie, American Eagle Outfitters’ underwear line, for showing what real women look like in its advertisements rather than retouching its photos.

Some women and men have been affected by seeing images of models that have been retouched; this can cause negative feelings toward their bodies for not meeting these unreal standards. An extreme version of this is body dysmorphic disorder where people are preoccupied with concerns about their looks and may not have a realistic view of their body.

“With such identification, we as a culture won’t always believe that there is something wrong with us if we don’t look like the images that we are flooded with,” said Willo Wisotsky, PhD, health psychologist at the Center for Weight Management at Syosset Hospital of Aerie’s use of un-retouched images in its ads. “For a national company to give the opportunity for our youth and adults to see what beauty is naturally is a gift and I applaud such an organization for aiding body awareness and body confidence.”

Dr. Wisotsky encourages people who would like to be more confident and accepting of their bodies to find one positive thing to say about themselves every day while looking in the mirror.

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