One thing every woman has dealt with is unrealistic expectations. In all societies, women are plagued with the notion of being the “perfect woman.” She is sexy, but virtuous. She is beautiful, but humble. She is smart, but not too smart. There are so many boundaries that block women in today’s world from being themselves and allowing them to be proud of their true identity. When we grow up, these expectations are shown greatly in the media. We see women with the perfect bodies and the “right skin tone,” and it causes girls to feel like they will never be that “perfect.”
Combatting this issue is a campaign established in 2014 by Aerie, known as #AerieReal. As a part of this campaign, Aerie represents women who are like you and me, and hires everyday women to be their models. Women and girls who are every race, skin tone, shape and size. They have stretch marks and pimples just like we do. Recently, they have cast women who have illnesses and diseases such as vitiligo and fibromyalgia. The best part is… their photos don’t hide their true selves. Every single one of the Aerie Real photos are unretouched.
Aerie Real is a campaign trying to spread inclusivity and body positivity into a business that has been showing the same types of women every year. Instead of just trying to sell their products, Aerie wants to empower women to feel confident in their own skin.
Aerie’s representation of all women is making waves across the country and the world. Women and girls now see themselves in these models, and feel like they are finally represented in the clothing industry. Showing a diverse group of models in their ads can open up the world to girls in the next generations to have a different level of body positivity, and help them to be proud of themselves.
In only four years, Aerie’s #AerieReal campaign is making waves in an industry that has unrealistic expectations for women. The unretouched photos show true girls exuding body positivity, all while representing women around the world. It is inclusive, making it possible for every girl to be #aeriereal.