In my early teen years I was obsessed with Victoria’s Secret, as I’m sure every girl that age was. It was such a grown up place to shop! As I neared adulthood though I had a change of heart. I didn’t care for the extra thick padded bras, the uncomfortable undies, and the word “PINK” plastered over all of their leisure/activewear. In search of a store that sold cute and comfortable clothes I turned to Aerie.
Aerie is Women’s Lingerie & Apparel from American Eagle. It is to American Eagle what PINK is to Victoria’s Secret… except a million times better. I’d always loved American Eagle so I imagined that I would love Aerie as well. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Aerie is the phrase “Aerie real” which implies that the women in the photos are real women. The basis of their advertising campaign is the fact that they don’t photoshop their models! How awesome is that? They have models of every size and colour and they are beautiful!
What I love most about Aerie is the fact that they use real women instead of heavily photoshopped, stick thin, supermodels. Victoria’s Secret angels are beautiful of course, but they often set unrealistic expectations. A majority of women don’t look like that!
Another awesome thing about Aerie is all of the cute and comfy clothes they sell! I’m not joking when I say this, I could buy everything in that store. Their bralettes and undies are so comfy, and I absolutely adore their socks (literally the softest things ever)! They have amazing pjs, sweaters, leggings, swim, everything (and none of it is plastered with their logo)! And you actually feel good about yourself wearing it because they make clothes for real women to feel beautiful in. And a huge bonus… they always have some sort of sale happening!
Aerie also supports NEDA (the National Eating Disorders Association). They are the first national retailer to do so! For every unphotoshopped swim photo women post with the hashtag #AerieREAL, Aerie donates $1 to NEDA (2018). Together, these companies spread awareness about education and Aerie’s platform helps create body positivity.
The best thing about Aerie is that they work to empower women. They create positive role models that women can relate to and look up to. They make you feel great about yourself. There is something so humbling about seeing women that look just like you, stretch marks, freckles, and all, posing across an ad campaign.
Works Cited
“AeriePartners With the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) for Fourth Annual Campaign.” Aerie Partners With the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) for Fourth Annual Campaign | Business Wire, 15 Feb. 2018, www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180215005064/en/Aerie-Partners-National….
https://www.google.ca/search?tbm=isch&q=aerie+logo&chips=q:aerie+logo,g_…
https://www.google.ca/search?biw=1366&bih=651&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=3S-vWoOsM…