MAC Left A Model's Facial Hair In Photos And Women Are Here For It

MAC’s reminding everyone that a woman’s “imperfections” are anything but

It’s 2018, and we know a few facts: Women can have cellulite. They can have parts that jiggle. And they can certainly have body and facial hair.

Women’s so-called “imperfections” are anything but — it’s completely normal for bodies to have all of those things. But you often wouldn’t know it from advertising, where people tend to be Photoshopped and retouched into an unattainable state of perfection. That’s why so many online are applauding MAC Cosmetics for posting photos of makeup models in all their perfectly imperfect glory.

This photo, featuring the MAC Lip Pencil in Chestnut, also features Instagram model @nats.vibe with a few stray hairs around her lips. Instead of retouching this “imperfection” from the photo, MAC left it for all to see that facial hair on women is nothing but normal.

Of course, there were some haters in the comments, but also so many women who were very much here for this.

This isn’t the first time MAC has posted a photo of an “imperfect” model. Last month, the brand posted another lippie shot of another model who hadn’t waxed her face to complete infant smoothness.

There’s all kinds of research about how the beauty standards generally used in advertising can make women and girls feel about themselves, and (spoiler alert!) it’s not good. Studies have found that girls as young as third grade wish they were thinner, and as many as 10 percent of teen girls struggle with eating disorders. What’s making those kids wish to be so thin? Photoshopped thigh gaps and eerily perfect skin in advertisements are definitely factors, trust.

But there’s a growing number of retailers who have sworn off retouching in their ads, including Aerie and CVS. More and more, retailers and us, the consumers, are realizing how damaging these unrealistic beauty standards can be. It’s time we embraced women’s bodies — all women’s bodies — no matter their extra pounds or their stray hairs. They’re normal, and they’re beautiful, and they deserve to be celebrated.