Here's some news for fashion lovers; a new era is beginning! Finally, the fight for acknowledging different body types has reached a success. In their new line, #AerieReal, Aerie by American Eagle is turning heads in the fashion industry. Not only with this new line of swimsuits, but by featuring their newest model, Barbie Ferreira, who is only 19 years old. Lovers of the brand Aerie all over are in favor of this new line, because in their campaign Barbie represented a curvy teen. According to this Today News article, this new line featuring Ferreira was made to display what bodies actually look like without retouching or photoshopping like most campaigns do. For once a new trend in fashion is starting, real people and real bodies, not the use of supermodels.
Just by encouraging consumers on how the real them is the new sexy, Aerie is taking on the approach of promoting an awesome new line, but more importantly the importance of embracing your body and shape. Promoting body confidence is a huge factor in today's society, and if anything should be encouraged and embraced. Especially with Social Media nowadays, it's hard to not be under any pressure on what the ideal body image is. Throughout fashion history, models and advertisements have many times depicted a certain body type, instead of displaying that there were many other body types out there. The idea of this ideal body type is false, for many times companies and brands retouch their photos, and even use photoshopping to enhance pictures to perfection. With this type of work, it pales the idea of helping everyday people on accepting the way that they look.
In this case, the rise of Aerie using Barbie Ferreira as their new model, only goes to show that their goal is to display her as a role model to inspire girls her own age on body acceptance. As she said in this Today News article, "I am not an unknown body type." Here Ferreira is referring to the many struggles people her age experience with their bodies. Problems that can range from non-acceptance from society, self-hatred, bullying, and to even extreme but common cases like eating disorders. Her support for the new Aerie line goes to show that she wants to not just be a face on a popular brand, but she wants to inspire others, especially with the untouched photos of the campaign, on how curves and imperfections are indeed beautiful.
With the rise of using real people as models like Barbie Ferreira, hopefully Aerie's new campaign can inspire other companies to start encouraging body confidence and to also inspire consumers to embrace their natural beauty and erase the false ideal body image society has burned into our minds. Just remember to embrace the real you!
