It is no secret that lingerie retailer, Aerie, has been making waves in the bra and panty industry and have even been heralded as one of Victoria’s Secret’s biggest competitors. Naturally, one of the keynote differences between the two companies is their advertisements.
While Victoria’s Secret is (in)famous for its depiction of uber-thin, tanned, toned (sometimes enhanced), then airbrushed and photoshopped models, Aerie is known for the exact opposite. The company, instead, has pledged to never photoshop or otherwise alter pictures of their models in addition to choosing girls of varying body types and proportions.
This comes at a time where many women are campaigning for body positivity -- the act of loving yourself and your body unconditionally, despite societal beauty standards. Body positivity also encompasses a respect for other people’s bodies and doing away with shaming.
Though cellulite, crooked noses, freckles, pudgy tummies, amputated limbs, discoloration, body hair, square hips, sagging breasts and small butts (amongst other features) are being publicly embraced, there is still one body type that has slipped through the cracks of the movement: bodies that have undergone cosmetic surgery.
It can be argued that plastic surgery is often excluded from body positive narratives because the movement aims to empower people to embrace their natural selves, or that doctored bodies are becoming the new norm (Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, Black Chyna, etc.), but those arguments are still very hypocritical in their grounds.
There is no “Completely unaltered, 100 percent natural body positive” movement. Body positivity, instead, claims to encompass any and all bodies. The beauty of autonomy is that each person has the right to make any and all decisions they deem fit for themselves and their physicality. No one should have to look in the mirror and loathe what they see. If they decide that it’s something that they’d rather change than embrace, that choice should be respected.
Conversely, there is little to no kickback when a perfectly healthy person takes on a new exercise regimen purely for aesthetic reasons ( i.e. Squatting for a bigger, rounder butt). Though it may be a natural way of body modification, it is still just that -- modifying the body. Women who decide to alter themselves by going under the knife for the areas the gym misses should be treated in the same regard.
It is baseless to believe that someone’s choice to doctor themselves leaves them open to ridicule. They are no less attached to their features if they are made of silicone and still have the human capacity to be hurt by harsh criticisms.
It is a common belief that women who nip and tuck do so because of issues with self-esteem and self-image. If that holds any truth then this should be further incentive to include include them in body positivity -- they were beautiful before, they’re beautiful now and they’ll be beautiful always. These might very well be the women who need to hear it the most.
People who claim to be body positive do not get to pick and choose which features are worthy of inclusion -- to actively campaign against restrictive societal norms while also trying to demean other bodies in the same way that theirs have been demeaned undermines the whole movement.
We all only get one body, and it should be one that we can love without shame.
