2017 was the year of the woman, so we all knew 2018 was going to be a continuation. With that said, I don’t think we expected this year to be the year of embracing diversity among women.
Fashion retailer, Aerie, is the latest company to celebrate inclusivity in their new campaign.
The campaign features models living with various disabilities, conditions and illnesses.
https://twitter.com/abby__sams/status/1016674553030959104
https://twitter.com/abby__sams/status/1016776598727614464
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The internet is absolutely thrilled to actually see realistic representations of people who appear just like them. It’s taking steps more advanced than just featuring women of colour or of various sizes which has been the last change we’ve seen in the industry.
The reactions from social media are as heartwarming as they come because of their excitement.
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
— girlfriend pretty (@pillypiIar) July 11, 2018
OH MY GOD!!! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE EVER SEEN MYSELF REPRESENTED IN A MODEL!!!!
— Beak: Bitter Hag (@AstridLevinson) July 10, 2018
On the flip side, it gives the opportunity to learn about different illnesses and get a glimpse as to how accessible their clothing is from a branding stand point. Bonus points for Aerie!
The lingerie retailer sub-branded by American Eagle has really made some far advancements this past year with their #AerieREAL campaign that banned airbrushing in their images (that has been a strong promise since 2014) that lead to the #AerieREAL Role Models campaign in summer of 2018, and hiring actual customers of their stores to be the models for their advertising.
They are not kidding when they say they want to empower women of all kinds.
Aerie’s new campaign is iconic, and I hope other retailers follow suit because this is the kind of beauty we need to show to the world. They deserve every ounce of praise they are receiving for their progressive new project.
Featured image Phillip Pessar on Flickr
