Canadian clothing retailer Jacob has entered the body image debate with a “no retouch” photo policy.

The specialty women’s wear chain says it has stopped using the kind of photo retouching that gives models fuller breasts and a skinnier waist and legs.

“We are the first Canadian fashion retailer to commit to a No Retouching policy,” Cristelle Basmaji, Jacob’s director of communications and marketing, said in an interview.

“It’s a trend in the industry right now. And it fits in with our values as a family and a company,” said Basmaji, who is also the granddaughter of the store’s founder and namesake, Jacob Basmaji.

“Those values are around respect, altruism and leadership,” she said.

Photo retouching – along with the use of excessively thin models—has come under fire in the fashion industry.

The practices have been accused of creating unrealistic body images that contribute to low self-esteem and eating disorders among younger women.

Some brands, such as Dove, have converted the controversy into an asset by adopting aggressively pro-natural beauty stances.

Dove has received kudos for featuring women of all shapes and sizes in its “campaign for real beauty.” The campaign’s goal is to inspire girls to reach their full potential.

In comparison, the model Jacob is using in its no-retouch campaign is still slender, youthful and pretty. As well, the retailer said it would continue to digitally even out skin tones and erase tattoos and scars.

Basmaji says a fashion retailer like Jacob can’t take the message as far as a company like Dove that sells soap, deodorant and shampoo.

“We’re trying to be as realistic as we can. At the same time, the customer expects the image to be aspirational,” Basmaji said.

“You need a shape that fits into your clothes,” she added, noting Jacob doesn’t carry plus sizes, for example.

Jacob’s target market is the 25- to 34-year-old career woman who likes modern classics, whether she’s a lawyer or a school teacher, Basmaji said.

Jacob said its model tested well with employees and customers, who found her to be “realistic enough.

“She’s not super-thin,” Basmaji added, noting the model is a size 4, two sizes larger than the size zero favoured on high fashion runways.

Whether the Montreal-based retailer’s no retouch campaign will result in greater brand awareness and higher sales for the national chain remains to be seen.

“It’s a strategy. Is it going to get them a huge bang for their buck? Not as much as a Canadian footwear company announcing they’re going to resume producing footwear in Canada. Certain things would have more of a ‘wow’ factor,” said Kaileen Millard-Ruff, vice-president retail for at the market research firm Synovate.

“What’s really missing is a greater number of Canadian retailers offering merchandise that reflects the diversity of our sizes and ethnicity,” Millard-Ruff added.

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Meanwhile, the retailer said its decision to combined its casual Jacob Connexion stores with its core Jacob career wear offering into a single 110-store brand in mid-August is already boosting sales.

The company also operates 50 Jacob lingerie stores.

The retailer also has plans to open seven new stores this fall in Quebec and British Columbia, all in smaller markets where it is less likely to face international competitors, such as H&M and Zara.