I still remember scrolling through my Instagram feed a few years ago and stumbling across some new pictures posted by the popular clothing retailer, American Eagle. However, these pictures were different from the traditional tall, thin, blonde, stereotyped models this company normally promoted. To my surprise, the models in the pictures I was viewing looked similar to myself. They were relatable. They were of average sized woman with minimal makeup and their “blemishes” were exposed. They actually looked like real people, like the ones you encounter at the grocery store or at the gym.
After doing some quick research, I learned that American Eagle was launching a new campaign called #AerieREAL. The primary focus of this campaign was to produce Photoshop-free images of the woman who modeled their lingerie brand, Aerie. At this time, in 2014, there were very few clothing retailers who were brave enough to embrace such a bold campaign, and promote their product with completely natural and untouched models. It was refreshing to see this new change in the fashion industry. Over the past few years, I have been happy to see that the #AerieREAL campaign has expanded their ideas and representation of the diverse population of woman.
The #AerieREAL campaign has made countless attempts to normalize and celebrate the differences of all woman. Since its creation, #AerieREAL has named Iskra Lawrence as their official #AerieREAL role model, as she embodies the qualities of self-confidence and self-love that this campaign is rooted in. Lawrence frequently shares her story of her struggles as a model and with body image at customer events and seminars hosted by the campaign. She is also frequently featured modeling the latest lingerie or swimwear on Aerie’s Instagram page, portraying happiness and confidence.
For me, #AerieREAL has impacted my life because it showed me the behind the scenes of what goes into a photo shoot, and the amount of retouching and editing each image gets before it is posted. I love this campaign because it embraces woman of all races, body sizes, and styles. It is one of the only campaigns I have been aware of that will share images of their models wearing their brand with no make up on and stretch marks exposed. For many women, this is extremely relatable and can instill confidence in them that they might not have received from anyone else. I love #AerieREAL because it has helped me become more confident in my body, and it shows me that there is so much more to beauty than size, shape, or the physical appearance of a person.
*Images courtesy of Pinterest