I always have been and always will be an advocate for body positivity and diversity in advertising for different brands. The fact that brands like Aerie are combatting the stigma around different body shapes and sizes is amazing to me.
When I saw the Gillette ads surrounding body positivity and featuring plus-size women and models to promote their razors, I was really happy to see a brand like that doing something positive with their platform. It may be just a photo in an ad, but that’s actually something really important for them to feature in their ad.
While it’s almost 2020 and we should be way past body shaming, there were still people freaking out over the fact that Gillette featured a plus-sized model in their ad. Some thought that it was encouraging unhealthy eating habits and could lead to obesity becoming an even more pressing issue in the United States.
The fact that we are well into the 21st-century and people are still fat-shaming is so upsetting to me. I remember when I was growing up and thinking that everyone that I saw in TV and movies looked the same. I remember thinking that I had to look a certain way and act a certain way specifically because that’s how someone looked in a show I saw.
The idea of young girls being able to grow up in today’s world and see female superheroes, protagonists and leaders that look like them no matter what shape, size or color they were used to make me so happy. But now, people still want to take that away for some reason.
I’m going to be the first to admit that I love fashion. The idea of fashion shows and designing clothing as a form of art is absolutely amazing, but I’m also not oblivious to the fact that there is a toxic environment that surrounds the world of fashion and clothing at times.
Iskra Lawrence is a huge advocate for body positivity and is the face of Aerie’s AerieReal campaign where they are pioneering diversity in their ads and not photoshopping their models. While she is considered a plus-size model, she’s been in the modeling industry for years and is the first to admit that she has been a victim of the toxic mindset that you have to look a certain way in order to fit in.
A lot of models work really hard to keep themselves in the shape that they need to be in for these shoots. Their hard work shouldn’t go unnoticed, but models that society considers “plus-size” also work extremely hard. It’s so disappointing when I see people complaining about models and people in TV and movies. Those people are real, and they actually look like myself and the people around me.
To go from being surrounded by models and actresses with unattainable features to seeing women that were just like me and anyone else I know, and it being met with such opposition is heartbreaking. Those people are real, and if they aren’t good enough to be in an ad, then that is so disheartening.
It took me a long time to fully start loving myself and everything about me, and I want to help other people realize that they’re worthy of self-love too. I’m not perfect, but nobody is. If you criticize the way someone looks, you’re criticizing the way that a million other people look, too. Please keep that in mind the next time you think about saying something negative about the way someone looks in an ad or on your screen, no matter their size.
It’s so easy to be negative about other people when you’re not saying it to their face. Not having to see the way that your words affect people is dangerous. They still hurt just as much no matter if they’re through text or a comment on a post.
If you see a model and they’re anything other than the normal super-toned Victoria’s Secret Angels that everyone is used to seeing, and your first reaction is to negatively comment on their image, please seek help. You’ve got more issues than anyone.