Aerie, American Eagle’s brand of lingerie and sleepwear, has been promoting messages of inclusion and body positivity for a while now. Back in 2014, they launched their #AerieReal campaign, pledging only to use un-airbrushed, un-photoshopped images of models in their ads. The move turned out to be a great one, and their sales went through the roof. Turns out women don’t need (or even want) images of unrealistic beauty standards to buy bras. Who knew?
This season of #AerieReal ads go even further, and features real women—as in non-professional models—wearing Aerie products. The representation is kind of incredible. There are women of all sizes and body types, ages, and race.
image: Aerie
The website also a features a number of women with disabilities, chronic illness, surgery scars, and other conditions.
images: Aerie
People with visible disabilities and conditions are so severely underrepresented in fashion and other media. These images, then, are having a big impact on people who aren’t used to seeing themselves reflected like this.
OH MY GOD!!! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE EVER SEEN MYSELF REPRESENTED IN A MODEL!!!!
— ᴇᴠ ᴍᴀᴄ 🐝 (@evquaymac) July 10, 2018
I am about to cry. I NEVER see people with ostomies. pic.twitter.com/7A2UOgBEWz
— peebs1701 (@peebs1701) July 10, 2018
Seeing this from the @Aerie website means so much to me. This model not only is beautiful, but has the same type of disease as me. I love seeing diverse representation pic.twitter.com/jb6dbRr3lQ
— madelynn ♡ ☆ (@_madelynn101) July 11, 2018
a model who looks like me! @Aerie is doing something so special! i have never seen true diversity of age, ethnicity, ability, and size from a company in my life! this is representation! pic.twitter.com/Rzzt5N504s
— the saddest potato (@pillypiIar) July 11, 2018
I literally cried when I saw this today. Thank you @Aerie for making my daughter a little less self conscious about her diabetes #realpeople #tidlookslikeme pic.twitter.com/rPKr4nNFoY
— Jennifer Smith (@Mizz_j_smith) July 11, 2018
THIS 🙌🏼🙌🏼 Aerie is giving me and all other Type One Diabetics the confidence to wear our “robot parts” without ever thinking it makes me any less beautiful #aerieREAL 💗 pic.twitter.com/jmBi000Uf9
— Lyd 🌸 (@lydpottschmidt) July 11, 2018
Aerie is proving that outdated images of “perfection” aren’t representative of true female beauty, and they definitely aren’t needed to sell clothes, not even lingerie and bikinis.
(images: Aerie )
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