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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

AerieREAL Isn't Quite The Real Deal (Yet)

Gigi Gastevich |
January 22, 2014 | 7:32 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

An image from Aerie's new campaign. twitter/@_bainer.
An image from Aerie's new campaign. twitter/@_bainer.
“Time to get real,” lingerie brand Aerie said last Friday in the debut of their new ad campaign, Aerie Real. “The real you is sexy.” 

Aerie, American Eagle’s lingerie spinoff, is attempting to revolutionize advertising with the useage of promotional photos that have not been "retouched.” By using realistic portrayals of women's bodies, rather than the traditionally heavily-edited images of supermodels, the campaign aims to foster a healthier body image in their young clientele.

Aerie’s new campaign is part of a growing “real” movement in the fashion industry. Efforts like Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign and Seventeen Magazine’s “Body Peace Treaty” expose the unfair expectations put on women’s looks that many argue are prevalent in fashion and beauty photography.

The lingerie industry is particularly notorious for using heavily-edited images of impossibly skinny/busty/long-legged supermodels, arguably creating pop culture ideals of the female body that are impossible for real women to live up to. Aerie’s demographic, aged 15 to 21, is seen as the most at-risk for developing the negative body image and corresponding harmful health practices associated with these ideals. 

The girls in Aerie’s new photos look far more natural than, say, the models shown by competitor Victoria's Secret Pink. They have moles, tattoos, and stretch marks. They have little puckers of fat at their underarms, and the skin on their stomach ripples as they bend over. Their thighs touch in the middle. They look like they eat food. For good reason, they are being embraced with open arms across social media and the blogosphere.

In addition to the ad campaign, Aerie has revamped their online catalogue to include only “real” pictures to sell everything from bikinis to sweatpants. Their new bra guide lets shoppers see each bra modeled by a girl who shares her cup size.  “This is our D,” Aerie’s Jenny Altman explained in a video for Good Morning America, pointing to a picture of an Aerie model. “If you were to see a size A girl wearing the Ella Gel pushup, it’s a total different look.” Aerie hopes that this will help their customers see “what girls their age really look like” and accept their unique shape.

While I appreciate the campaign and the thinking behind it, I just wish that Aerie had taken the concept further. Okay, the images aren’t retouched. But I suspect that the models were touched up by professionals before the cameras started to roll. It is incredible what makeup can do for the face and body; bronzer will smooth and contour almost as well as Photoshop. I’m glad that Aerie left in a few tattoos and birthmarks, but where are the actual blemishes—I’m talking pimples and razor burn here—that girls all have? I am not saying that those imperfections should necessarily be in a fashion ad. I’m simply pointing out that it took a large team of makeup artists, hair dressers, professional models, and photographers to get these “real” pictures.

I also wish that Aerie had employed a larger diversity of “real” girls. There is some waistline variation among the bra models, although they are all still pretty slim. However, on other parts of the website, such as the clothing and swimsuit sections, Aerie reverts back to exclusively featuring girls who look exceptionally thin. The contrast between the two only serves to further draw attention to the skinny, mainstream model. Because the images are not retouched, it's easy to see how unrealistic this weight is for most people. Each bikini model’s ribcage and protruding hipbones are now clearly visible. These models may be real, but they are not representative of real American women. 

In addition, the new bra tool doesn’t cut it in my book. There is only one model per cup size, but chests and bodies within one cup size can vary wildly. A 32B bra is not the same as a 38B, and a model with  a 32B chest is still an unrealistic visualization for a 38B girl. 

This being said, #aerieREAL is certainly a smart move for American Eagle. Despite not being retouched, the images will be extremely effective in driving sales. It doesn’t hurt that the campaign is timed with the release of a new Valentine’s Day line of pink, lacy intimates, in addition to a 40% off sale on all bras.

I still support Aerie Real. Whatever commercial interests are driving the campaign, however unrealistic the images and models still are compared to what most real girls look like, the campaign is a step in the right direction for fashion advertising and a strong push toward a better body ideal for young women. Even so, there is much more to be done. I hope that Aerie can follow through and deliver more progressive campaigns in the future, with photos that look truly real. 

Gigi Gastevich is a Staff Reporter who will still probably shop at Aerie. Reach her here.



 

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