When you see an ad, how often does the model actually look like you or anyone you know? Almost never, right? Well, Aerie and American Eagle are changing that.
American Eagle and Aerie are committed to spreading body positivity and self-acceptance by making the commitment to not PhotoshopⓇ any of their models. Since 2014, all Aerie and American Eagle photos have remained untouched and feature a diverse group of models. In fact, Aerie’s in-store sales increased 25% in 2017 as a result of this change. Also, the company as a whole is expected to be valued at $1 billion dollars within the next few years. You can read more about their sales figures here. The brand is certainly bringing about the much-needed change to the lingerie and fashion industries. Instead of selling the fantasy, Aerie is selling realness. (Photo source: Aerie)
Social media can have such a negative impact on body image, but Aerie is changing that game too. In addition to posting images featuring their diverse group of models, customers can get in on the action too by posting pictures using #AerieReal. Personally, I love the emphasis on “real.” At the moment, there are over 150,000 posts with the hashtag. While scrolling through, I saw empowered women that were proud to show off what they’ve got. Aerie’s message really pushes the idea that there is no universal definition of the word “beautiful”. Beauty comes in all forms and it’s inspiring to see women embracing that.
At the beginning of this year, the brand launched a new campaign, #AerieREAL Role Models. Its tagline is “your real power is…you” and features eight influential women. They are: Iskra Lawrence, Brenna Huckaby, Busy Philipps, Jameela Jamil, Cleo Wade, Aly Raisman, Samira Wiley, and Molly Burke. All of these inspiring women come from such different backgrounds, have varying careers, and show a different side to what is beautiful. I’m excited to see what this campaign will achieve and how it will make even greater strides to promote body confidence.
As a promoter of body positivity, American Eagle and Aerie are two brands that I’ll certainly continue to support! I hope that other companies will learn from them and take that leap to stop retouching and just share what is real.