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American Eagle's Aerie has women buying in to airbrush-free lingerie

American Eagle's Aerie is trying to reshape what "sexy" means, moving away from the idea of a "perfect body."
/ Source: TODAY

Lingerie has long been about feeling sexy, but now one company is trying to reshape what that means, moving away from industry standards and the idea of a "perfect body."

American Eagle Outfitters' lingerie line, Aerie, is telling women in a new campaign that "the real you is sexy." And more than just the slogan, Aerie's campaign features women with zero airbrushing.

"We celebrate each girl's real beauty, so we'll showcase tattoos, curves, beauty marks, scars, all the things that make them who they are," Aerie's president, Jen Foyle, told NBC's Betty Nguyen for TODAY.

The response from women on social media has been largely positive, with many women appreciating the refreshing step away from industry standards.

And the approach is paying off.

"Revenue has really spiked," said Jharonne Martis, director of consumer research at Thomson Reuters. "They're outperformed on both revenue and earnings."

Despite its success, it's still an uphill battle to tackle industry leader Victoria's Secret.

"Aerie certainly has a chance against Victoria's Secret," said CNBC's Courtney Reagan. "But I think it would take quite a while for Aerie to really dig at the market share that Vctoria's Secret and Pink brand has already gained."

Actress Emma Roberts has also signed on as a model for Aeire's fall campaign. One of the campaign's current models, Yelena Noah, said that the campaign is so powerful because it embraces what makes people unique.

"We are all different and we all have different bodies," Noah said in an ad for Aerie. "We're all women and we should be proud of who we are."