diff --git a/Lib/email/message.py b/Lib/email/message.py
index 3feab52..b5f7b3a 100644
--- a/Lib/email/message.py
+++ b/Lib/email/message.py
@@ -132,22 +132,50 @@
 
     def __str__(self):
         """Return the entire formatted message as a string.
-        This includes the headers, body, and envelope header.
         """
         return self.as_string()
 
-    def as_string(self, unixfrom=False, maxheaderlen=0):
+    def as_string(self, unixfrom=False, maxheaderlen=0, policy=None):
         """Return the entire formatted message as a string.
-        Optional `unixfrom' when True, means include the Unix From_ envelope
-        header.
 
-        This is a convenience method and may not generate the message exactly
-        as you intend.  For more flexibility, use the flatten() method of a
-        Generator instance.
+        Optional 'unixfrom', when true, means include the Unix From_ envelope
+        header.  For backward compatibility reasons, if maxheaderlen is
+        not specified it defaults to 0, so you must override it explicitly
+        if you want a different maxheaderlen.  'policy' is passed to the
+        Generator instance used to serialize the mesasge; if it is not
+        specified the policy associated with the message instance is used.
+
+        If the message object contains binary data that is not encoded
+        according to RFC standards, the non-compliant data will be replaced by
+        unicode "unknown character" code points.
         """
         from email.generator import Generator
+        policy = self.policy if policy is None else policy
         fp = StringIO()
-        g = Generator(fp, mangle_from_=False, maxheaderlen=maxheaderlen)
+        g = Generator(fp,
+                      mangle_from_=False,
+                      maxheaderlen=maxheaderlen,
+                      policy=policy)
+        g.flatten(self, unixfrom=unixfrom)
+        return fp.getvalue()
+
+    def __bytes__(self):
+        """Return the entire formatted message as a bytes object.
+        """
+        return self.as_bytes()
+
+    def as_bytes(self, unixfrom=False, policy=None):
+        """Return the entire formatted message as a bytes object.
+
+        Optional 'unixfrom', when true, means include the Unix From_ envelope
+        header.  'policy' is passed to the BytesGenerator instance used to
+        serialize the message; if not specified the policy associated with
+        the message instance is used.
+        """
+        from email.generator import BytesGenerator
+        policy = self.policy if policy is None else policy
+        fp = BytesIO()
+        g = BytesGenerator(fp, mangle_from_=False, policy=policy)
         g.flatten(self, unixfrom=unixfrom)
         return fp.getvalue()
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_email/test_email.py b/Lib/test/test_email/test_email.py
index 4c82952..3507b1e 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_email/test_email.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/test_email.py
@@ -249,15 +249,42 @@
         self.assertTrue('TO' in msg)
 
     def test_as_string(self):
-        eq = self.ndiffAssertEqual
         msg = self._msgobj('msg_01.txt')
         with openfile('msg_01.txt') as fp:
             text = fp.read()
-        eq(text, str(msg))
+        self.assertEqual(text, str(msg))
         fullrepr = msg.as_string(unixfrom=True)
         lines = fullrepr.split('\n')
         self.assertTrue(lines[0].startswith('From '))
-        eq(text, NL.join(lines[1:]))
+        self.assertEqual(text, NL.join(lines[1:]))
+
+    def test_as_string_policy(self):
+        msg = self._msgobj('msg_01.txt')
+        newpolicy = msg.policy.clone(linesep='\r\n')
+        fullrepr = msg.as_string(policy=newpolicy)
+        s = StringIO()
+        g = Generator(s, policy=newpolicy)
+        g.flatten(msg)
+        self.assertEqual(fullrepr, s.getvalue())
+
+    def test_as_bytes(self):
+        msg = self._msgobj('msg_01.txt')
+        with openfile('msg_01.txt', 'rb') as fp:
+            data = fp.read()
+        self.assertEqual(data, bytes(msg))
+        fullrepr = msg.as_bytes(unixfrom=True)
+        lines = fullrepr.split(b'\n')
+        self.assertTrue(lines[0].startswith(b'From '))
+        self.assertEqual(data, b'\n'.join(lines[1:]))
+
+    def test_as_bytes_policy(self):
+        msg = self._msgobj('msg_01.txt')
+        newpolicy = msg.policy.clone(linesep='\r\n')
+        fullrepr = msg.as_bytes(policy=newpolicy)
+        s = BytesIO()
+        g = BytesGenerator(s,policy=newpolicy)
+        g.flatten(msg)
+        self.assertEqual(fullrepr, s.getvalue())
 
     # test_headerregistry.TestContentTypeHeader.bad_params
     def test_bad_param(self):