Women's fashion retailer Jacob has decided to bid adieu to the practice of retouching photos to alter the body shapes of models.

The Quebec-based company is billing the move as the first by a women's fashion retailer in Canada.

Images of models used in Jacob's advertisements will no longer be digitally altered to change body shapes although they will still be retouched to even out skin tone and calibrate colours. (iStock)The retailer is publicly committing to no longer digitally altering the body shapes of its models in images for both its Jacob and Jacob Lingerie brands as it launches its fall campaign.

The first images from the campaign will include three different versions of one of Jacob's campaign photos shown in stores: the raw image, the photo as seen in their advertising campaign and one that has been retouched as would have been done in the past.

The company says it has always felt strongly about women's issues and respecting its customers and decided it was time to "take a stand on retouching."

'We hope to reverse the trend in digital photo manipulation that has become excessive in our industry.'—Cristelle Basmaji, Jacob's communications director

"As a socially responsible company, Jacob has always made an effort to promote a healthy image of the female body," spokesperson and communications director Cristelle Basmaji said in a news release.

"By adopting an official policy and broadcasting it publicly, we hope to reverse the trend in digital photo manipulation that has become excessive in our industry."

Despite the move, the company says it isn't against all forms of touch-ups. Jacob will continue to retouch photos in some regards, noting there will always be a need to calibrate colours for better product representation, to even out skin tone or erase tattoos and scars.

Jacob has more than 150 stores across Canada.