This won't be the first time that I question Aerie's advertising motives, but this time I really am stumped. In the past week, Aerie and American Eagle have been promoting their new #AerieMan campaign. It's pretty much the same deal as the original #AerieReal campaign, but this time with dudes.

The overall message is solid: positive body image acceptance, loving the body you have, accepting that the real you is sexy... these are all awesome messages. However, it's the execution I wonder about.

This is the video used to kick off this new campaign:

There are a lot of mixed reviews on this. For the most part, everyone agrees that beauty standards are ridiculous to live up to no matter what gender you are, and it's great to see a brand promoting the beauty of all shapes and sizes. It's the rest of the video I just don't understand.

A lot of people are posting online and wondering if this video is an early April Fools' spoof or actually meant to be taken seriously. Regardless, there are multiple execution errors within this video.

How about the fact that the heaviest man was completely covered by the bubbles in his bubble bath most of the time, while the man with six-pack was always on display? To be honest, the whole bubble bath situation was a little uncomfortable in the first place. Or what about the fact that the slender, handsome Jesus-look-alike had the pretty girl draped across his arm. Why didn't bubble bath guy get a lady?

"I don't mind that I won't be retouched," says the guy with perfectly chiseled abs. "What defines a man is his character," says the same beautiful male model as he hangs a framed photo of his shirtless-self on the wall. Oh, the irony.

And what is with the creepy intro? Why didn't they just have the models speak with their mouths instead of the awkward narration? Did you have the same cringing response I did when the male model smiled at the "and men" part? It is just unnatural.

All of that aside, the narrated dialogue of the video is beautiful. Everything said is positive and encouraging. It's the videos matching it that is discrediting this video to the point where people honestly cannot tell if it was supposed to be a joke or not. I mean, come on, a man used a selfie stick to photograph his buttocks. You do you, dude.

I do have to applaud Aerie's selection of men. They did a much better job of gathering a diverse group of realistic men than they have for their past women's campaigns. I suppose these guys are relatable. They have some body hair and one even wears glasses, so *obviously* they embrace their "flaws" ... But I still wouldn't say that means the video fully hit the mark. The whole Aerie realness message is fantastic, but the poor execution of the campaign keeps the messages from living up to the full potential.