For so long, Victoria's Secret reigned supreme being the number one choice for lingerie, swim, and clothing for women. The younger brand, PINK, attracted tweens and teenagers from the beginning. After years of being the most known lingerie brand in the world, declining sales have signified a change in customer's attitudes. Women no longer want to compare themselves to the beautiful, thin women towering in store windows. Victoria's Secret and PINK's unrealistic body standards of women left the market with an opportunity for change and a brand that appreciates and celebrates women of all sizes, and Aerie has stepped up to the plate.
Aerie is the sister brand of American Eagle Outfitters that sells a line of activewear, lingerie, swim and lounge clothes that target girls from aged 13-25. In recent years, the popularity of Aerie has exploded. Through extensive branding and marketing that targets girls of all shapes and sizes, Aerie has truly change the way girls feel about themselves in a world where they are constantly being critiqued.
Since Aerie has vowed to not photoshop models throughout the brand, Aerie has gained a mass following. Women and girls are slowly ditching their overpriced and low quality clothing from Victoria's Secret for cheaper, but high quality, clothes from Aerie. However, what really sets Aerie apart from other brands is their undeniable passion for promoting confidence and body positivity. Their dedication to using 'real' girls as their models has helped women everywhere recognize that there are models that look just like them. Throughout Aerie stores, shoppers see models that have tattoos, freckles, stretch marks, and other imperfections that reinforces the idea that Aerie wants all their shoppers to relate to the Aerie models.
Recently, Aerie has recruited three new women to be the new "Role Models" for the brand. Aside from current model Iskra, Aerie has made Olympian Aly Raisman, singer Rachel Platten, and actress Yara Shahidi the new faces of the brands. All of these women promote body positivity and represent the strength that women carry. These women all represent the empowerment that Aerie wants all women to feel.
Aside from not retouching models, in 2018, Aerie is relaunching the campaign that promotes women feeling confident and beautiful in swimwear. Swimsuit season can be stressful for anyone trying to fit their own standards of beauty. Women especially will diet for months in order to look perfect in a swimsuit. However, Aerie believes that everyone has a swimsuit body. Currently, if you post an unretouched swim photo that is tagged #AerieREAL, Aerie will donate $1 to the National Eating Disorders Association (up to 25k).
The sister brand of American Eagle Outfitters has truly taken the retail world by storm by promoting body positivity and women empowerment. Other brands should take note that promoting tiny, perfect models isn't the only way to promote their clothes. Aerie is truly a game changer in promoting strong, confident, and happy women.
