Fashion Industries Take Positive Steps to be More Inclusive
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, so why has society taken around 200 years to figure that out? Recently there have been beauty and clothing industries taking positive steps towards awaring their customers that their stores promote all sizes and shapes that beauty comes in.
Body positivity, which is the appreciation of all body types, has been the latest movement in the recent years. Although body positivity has been promoted recently there are still people who are not satisfied with their bodies, and it always will be like that. Society has wired our minds to thinking that there is always going to be something wrong with our appearances. We see models and actresses on television and magazines and think in our heads, “Why can’t I look like her?” or “Why is my body not allowing me to believe that I am beautiful? This issue is affecting young children to adults, which shouldn’t be the case. Young children should not have to worry about what their bodies look like; instead,they should be enjoying their childhood. Sadly, technology and the media convinces children otherwise. Middle school (and even elementary) girls and boys see images/videos on social media that convince their minds to believe everything they see is real. That being said, it is also the case with teenagers and adults.
As a society we are so hung up in the thought of our images and bodies not being good enough that we let ourselves fall into the media’s hands. Magazines and television retouch their photos so much that we should know it is not real, but we do not. Some of us know that it is not true but compare our bodies anyway. A model that we see in a magazine will not have perfect and shiny curled hair when she wakes up, her makeup won’t be perfect, and she won’t look like a million bucks, it is all retouched. As a society we strive to look like the people we see on television and in the media, when in reality we are just like them. We all have our flaws, but we are all beautiful in each and every way.
50 percent of American women are a size 14 or above, so until now brands have been ignoring 50 percent of women and their bodies. Aerie which is a brand connected to American Eagle, realized the problem with body positivity and took a stand beside it. In 2014 Aerie stopped airbrushing and retouching models. They also came up with #AerieReal campaign and sales grew 7% in a year. Iskra Lawrence who is a plus size model for Aerie said, “When someone sees an image of a woman, it makes them feel a certain way about themselves, I want to show these girls that I’m real just like them” (Lawrence). Aerie also came out when their #AerieReal campaign rose to surface and proclaimed that, “We don’t believe in flaws and believe real beauty should be shown in a natural, unaltered way.” Aerie was just the beginning of brands producing and advertising more plus size clothing options and their models being plus sized and unretouched.
Here are some more brands following in Aerie’s footsteps:
-Maurices: Launched plus sizes for all woman and are a strong supporter of body positivity
-ModCloth: In 2014 made sizes XS-4x
-Neon Moon: In 2015 made #IAmNeonMoon and removed number sizing
-Curvy Kate: A fuller bust lingerie brand featuring transgender and plus size models
-Swimsuitsforall: Collaborated with Ashley Graham (A plus size model who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and is a spokesperson for plus size clothing at H&M)
-Smart Glamour: Produced XXS-6x clothing sizes
-Lululemon: In 2015 started making plus size leggings and other clothing
With more brands promoting body positivity and not retouching models, we are getting closer to realizing each and every one of us has our own beauty. We are going to learn that it is okay to have an off day with our looks and that we can still rock the “bum” look. That it is okay to wear clothes that aren’t overly baggy to hide our rolls and curves. That we don’t have to wear makeup everyday to make others around us portray us as the girl who “always has it put together”. According to Park Nicollet Medical Melrose Center, “approximately 80% of U.S. women and teens don’t like how they look, and 34% of men are dissatisfied with their bodies”. This is a drastic number that needs a drastic change.
As a society, we need to be investing in the companies who support body positivity, to encourage and let others know that we stand with them through the body positivity movement. However, we don’t necessarily HAVE to buy products from stores that support body positivity and the readjustment of airbrushing models, we can take action on our own. Personally, each and everyone of us needs to know our worth and our beauty, women/men/children. While this may be easier said than done, it is a goal we can push to to encourage ourselves and others that it is okay to be different, because we are all unique and beautiful.
Works Cited
Gallivan, Heather. Www.macmh.org, www.macmh.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/18_Gallivan_Teens-social-media-body-image-presentation-H-Gallivan-Spring-2014.pdf.
Cheng, Andrea. “Beauty Brands Are Finally Casting Curvy Women in Their Campaigns.” Glamour, Glamour Magazine, www.glamour.com/story/plus-size-models-beauty-ads.
Britton Marketing & Design Group. “The Authentic Model Movement.” Britton Marketing + Design Group, www.brittonmdg.com/the-britton-blog/brands-using-more-authentic-looking-models.
Mic. “7 Brands That Follow Their Body-Positive Promises - and 2 That Don't.” Mic, Mic Network Inc., 27 Sept. 2016, mic.com/articles/155076/7-brands-that-follow-their-body-positive-promises-and-2-that-don-t#.tGLAucu8M.