Full disclosure: When I first started shopping at Aerie, it was mostly (read: totally) because I thought their apparel was super cute. A good quality bra that looks pretty and doesn’t have to break the bank? (I’m looking at you Victoria’s Secret.) I’m in.
But in the years since I’ve become an Aerie shopper, they’ve done a lot of really cool things to inspire me to stick with them as a brand. And I’m not just talking about those gorgeously comfy bralettes.
In spring 2014, Aerie launched an ad campaign called Aerie Real, through which they vowed to never digitally alter their models. For those of you who may not know, Aerie is the sister store of popular American Eagle Outfitters, and one of the key players in the lingerie business. And they’re especially popular among young women.
In an industry famous for its rampant use of Photoshop and other forms of advertising trickery, their announcement was a big deal. The media industry plays a key role in how young girls see themselves — several studies have linked images of “female beauty” propagated among media outlets to increases in body image concerns and poor self-esteem.
By encouraging young girls to love their bodies as they are, to be #AerieREAL, the company is spreading body positivity in a totally rad and influential way. And people are listening! The campaign has inspired many women to share their own stories about becoming more comfortable in their own skin.
Aerie’s campaign is also thought to be responsible for its impressive sales growth in the past year. The brand’s sales jumped by 20 percent in 2015, and according to their president, Jen Foyle, they’ve seen a 13 percent increase in new customers. Could this be because consumers are happy to finally see real women with whom they can connect and relate to? That’s what Foyle seems to think and personally, I buy it.
To put the icing on the cake, Aerie has joined forces with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) for the second year in a row. NEDA is one of the leading organizations providing care and support for individuals recovering from eating disorders, and they work hard to prevent and treat these life-threatening mental illnesses.
Aerie supported their NEDA Walk. Save a Life program and launched a cause marketing campaign in support of NEDA’s National Eating Disorder Awareness Week in February. The campaign was called Strong, Beautiful, ME and they sold a limited edition T-shirt from which all proceeds went to NEDA. That’s right, all of the proceeds. Every single penny. That money will go toward extremely valuable programs like support groups, treatment databases, and free mental health screening.
Aerie is out there changing the game and spreading love and acceptance — they got over 4 billion media impressions in 2015 — and I’m so into it. Let’s tell other retailers to step off—we don’t need or want their ridiculous beauty standards. We’re beautiful just the way we are.
