Stop what you’re doing right now and go take a look at some of your favorite lingerie, bathing suit, and online shopping websites. Notice something they all have in common? These days, it’s completely normal to see beautiful, size 0 models with protruding hipbones and flawless, perfectly tan skin. The negative effects of these images have more of an impact than we sometimes realize and can create all kinds of problems, both psychological and physical, for young women. One company, however, has created a new campaign that makes a giant step in improving girls’ perceptions about body image.
Aerie, the lingerie division of the American Eagle, recently launched the Aerie Real Campaign. The goal of the campaign is to use models that show a real woman’s body type in proportion to her bra size. The best part? No Photoshop. Everything that a normal, not airbrushed woman has: beauty marks, stretch marks, tattoos, and stomach rolls are shown. On Good Morning America, brand representative Jenny Altman explained, “They are still models, they’re still gorgeous, they just look a little more like the rest of us. We’re hoping to break the mold … we hope by embracing this that real girls everywhere will start to embrace their own beauty.”
In a society where young women are so heavily influenced by media, this campaign is a huge improvement. Movies, commercials, TV shows, and celebrities set the standard for what is beautiful: a thigh gap and flawless skin. From a young age, women’s self esteem and body image can take a hit and many feel the pressure to be beautiful and thin. Elissa Gittes, a pediatrician, explains how, “We’re seeing girls at younger ages starting to be dissatisfied with their bodies, proactively trying to change them, and feeling like they need to emulate something different than what their bodies can do.” The thin ideal is dangerous and can lead to an obsession with body size and shape, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. Eating disorders also tend to strike young adults more than adolescents, and with Aerie’s prime audience being women aged 15-21, the Real Campaign could make a small difference in this audience groups’ perception of what is beautiful.
Aerie’s campaign is a great step forward and one of the most honest portrayals of real body types I’ve seen in a while. For once, it’s nice to know that you’re not the only one whose thighs are not in exact proportion to your stomach. Even more exciting is that women get to see how a bra would fit on someone with a similar breast size and body type as theirs, rather than one model with fake double-D’s modeling every bra. It’s refreshing to see a company finally address the reality that everyone’s body is different and that there should be no standard definition of beauty.
So girls, go ahead and eat that chocolate chip cookie. And while you’re eating it, read this awesome Thought Catalogue article.
-All Images Property of Aerie and American Eagle-