The new arise of body image campaigns have caused much commotion over social media today. The standards which have been set by the fashion world about a “perfect body” have brought out many opinions over this topic. In reality, there are few who fit those standards. The #AerieREAL campaign has raised awareness to the level of retouching done in media today. Aeries decision to show the models in their truest form was aimed at the customer base. The company targets 15-21 year old girls, high school and college aged whom are proven to have the most body image issues. These issues come from nothing other than the perception of female beauty in the media (Krupnick).
Although this ad campaign alone will not solve the body image issues, it is certainly a step in the right direction. The brand is aiming to “challenge supermodel standards by featuring unretouched models”. These models consist of original Aerie models and now celebrities which have joined the campaign. The first, Emma Roberts. Roberts said “I feel so honored to be part of a movement that reassures women that real doesn’t mean flawed - real is sexy, real is cool. (Ledbetter)”
Even though the companies underwear sales increased 9%, not many other companies seemed to like the idea (White). After the #AerieREAL campaign had so much success, we continue to see tall, skinny, blemish free models in campaigns similar to Aeries. Although many of Aeries models are already, mainstream, skinny, tall and beautiful, the industry still finds flaws to retouch. Aeries goal is to leave things like stretch marks, backs and stomachs natural. This is aimed at lowering the standards of a beautiful body today.
On the other hand, companies like Urban Outfitters have faced controversy over a product which they attempted to sell. A v-neck shirt with the words “Eat Less” did not go over well. The backlash which they received lead them to pulling the shirt. Along with that, they recently attempted to sell a crop top with the word “depression” all over it (Davidson). Urban Outfitters is constantly in the spotlight for their offensive clothing but the two mentioned above attack the same insecure group which Aerie is attempting to resolve.
The lack of photoshop on Aeries models reveals the amount of work done in almost all of media today. The millennial girls are known for watching things like the Victoria’s Secret fashion show and commenting on how “perfect” the models are. The standards of perfect that have been set by the media are unattainable by most people. It’s important to realize the level of touch ups done on these photos.
Aerie models have spoken out on the campaign. Amber Tolliver is a 28 year old model. Like many other girls, she admits that she is not completley confident in her body. She admitted to occasionally enjoying seeing her insecurities so quickly removed from her body. "To recreate a human being using a computer process is a bit of an attack on who you naturally are," says Amber. The campaign helped her face her insecruities and realize that she is not the only one who deals with these problems (Popp).
This problem could either take a turn for the best, or the worst. As more and more people are gaining opinions over body image issues, it may become the norm to see models with stretch marks. Although brands like Victoria’s Secret will most likely never join the trend, they are constantly praised for the women which they show in their ads as being the most high end super models. Someday, it will again be accepted that a flat, perfect stomach is close to impossible. However that day may be very far away.
Popp, Emily. "Aerie Model Says Ads Are Unretouched." E! Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
Davidson, Jacob. "Why Urban Outfitters Won't Stop Offending People."Time. Time, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
White, Lori. "American Eagle Underwear Had an Increase in Sales. These 10 Unretouched Pics Are Maybe a Clue Why." Upworthy.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
Ledbetter, Carly. "Emma Roberts On Aerie Unretouched Ads: 'Real Doesn't Mean Flawed, Real Is Sexy'" Huffingtonpost.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.
Krupnick, Ellie. "Aerie's Unretouched Ads 'Challenge Supermodel Standards' For Young Women." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
I really enjoyed reading this article! I agree with Aerie's campaign with not photo shopping the models because no one person is flawless; we all have flaws. I hope more companies follow Aerie's lead because young girls should know what "Real" looks like.
ReplyDeleteI think this is such an important topic to talk about. So many girls today have a negative body image because of what society makes them believe they should look like. It's so difficult to come to terms with yourself and realize that the way you look is perfectly fine and it's okay to feel good in your own skin. Campaigns like #arieREAL are one step in the right direction and other companies should learn to follow in their positive footsteps.
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ReplyDeleteI think the #Aeriereal campaign was such a good idea, and like you said won’t solve all problems, but definitely a step in the right direction. I do agree that coincidently these models in the campaign are already naturally skinny, but it’s still the concept that counts. Urban Outfitters having shirts with offensive slogans like “eat less” is exactly why there are body issues in society. I think Aerie made a huge statement in the modeling/ advertising world.
This is a very important topic to talk about because everybody not only girls are worried about their image like boys want to be jacked and girls want to be skinny. I think that this a good step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI like how you bring up the competitor's clothing and how it is so polar opposite of aerie and how negative it is
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