ModCloth has always been known for using models of all body types, and the company is now taking their stance on body-acceptance a step further. The online retailer is the very first fashion company to sign the Heroes Pledge for Advertisers, a petition started by those who are supporting the Truth in Advertising bill in the US that asks companies to be transparent about their photoshop use.
By taking the pledge, ModCloth has agreed to "do [their] best not to change the shape, size, proportion, color and/or remove/enhance the physical features, of the people in [their] ads in post-production." If they do use photoshop, they will label the image to ensure everyone knows it's been altered.
"We don't have professional models on our site and we've been doing this since 2002," ModCloth CMO Nancy Ramamurthi told Fashionista. "We've never been a company that has misrepresented or altered the photos of our models, we've had hundreds of independent designers all produce clothing on our site and we've really worked hard to ensure they're for women of all sizes."
She adds that she was inspired by the passion behind the proposed legislation, which is being spearheaded by Seth Matlins, who began the movement after leaving his job in advertising in 2010.
"I think it's the truth and authenticity which clearly comes through in how he has supported this legislation, and has put out the petition for Dove and for other advertisers to join in," Ramamurthi said. "I think that honest and authentic point of view was something that was very aligned with who we are as a company, so we were thrilled to be the first fashion company to sign."
Thanks to help of many viral videos, it's become quite easy to notice how much an image has been altered to fit in with advertisers' and magazines' perception of "perfection." However, that doesn't mean that these images don't affect people of all ages and make them feel as though certain standards of beauty are unattainable. By taking this pledge, ModCloth is pioneering a movement in which the fashion industry must take responsibility for these unattainable standards and show the world what real people look like, and just now beautiful they are without the use of photoshop. Here's hoping more brands follow in ModCloth's steps.
