Revealed: Victoria's Secret Models Get Photoshopped!

A professional retoucher spoke to Refinery29 anonymously about what happens behind the scenes when updating photos for some of the leading beauty brands. Among the companies the retoucher worked for was Victoria's Secret, and told R29 just how much work went into updating images for the lingerie company.

BUT! Would you be surprised to hear that even the most perfect specimens get Photoshopped?! Of course not. Among the revelations:

• Models wear an extra bra while modeling VS clothing—including under strapless bras. Yes, the model is wearing two bras at once. The support bra is removed in the Photoshop process.

• A lot of retouching time is spent on removing "flaws" like stubble. It's easier to keep in, but we as a society are conditioned to seeing smooth skin.

• VS models get some extra padding via retouching. Wouldn't it be easier to hire curve models? Here's where it gets interesting. Per the post:

“One time, during a swim season, they had these two girls come in that had abs and thick thighs and busts. They were really toned and their skin was amazing. They were still obviously models. But they were a different look. But, they didn’t sell anything and so they stopped using those girls.”

Yes, Strutters, there was a time when the public didn't want to see curvier models in ads and responded with their wallets. What didn't work for VS eventually worked wonders for Aerie years later.

Will VS abandon its retouching policies and hire curvier models? Probably not. They've stopped producing its catalogues, clothing and swimsuits to boost its popular PINK activewear line. It'll probably take a bigger lag in sales for VS to revamp its line to include plus sizes and models in a future campaign.