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Consumers Are Responding To Body Positive Fashion Campaigns

October 18th 2015

Victoria's Secret recently made news for posting what appears to be a heavily Photoshopped image on its Facebook page, a move that drew lots of criticism from fans. It's likely that people were so upset because the brand perpetuates unrealistic body standards.

Two companies that are working differently.

That's where the body positive campaigns of American Eagle's Aerie line and Lane Bryant, among others, come into play. With body positive hashtags and social media posts gaining popularity on the Internet, it makes sense that the same would be true for body positive fashion campaigns.

1. American Eagle

ATTN: has noted before that American Eagle's business grew after it launched the #AerieReal campaign, which uses non-Photoshopped or airbrushed images in ads, early last year. A 2014 conference call revealed that sales increased by almost 10 percent following the change.

 

Aerie's Instagram page includes many untouched photos, which are much appreciated by the brand's followers:

"Loving the natural photos," one commenter wrote. "It also shows more reliability in terms of the product itself. We know how everything should look and fit based on the pictures! I never end up looking airbrushed lol. Love it!!!!!"

"I'd like to thank aerie for not trying to make it seem like all women are white, skinny, and have big boobs and big butts because WE ARE NOT ALL LIKE THAT and look at the woman in this photo!" a commenter wrote for the above photo. "She's absolutely gorgeous! There's no need for retouch, and they understand that, so thank you aerie."

2. Lane Bryant

Last month, Lane Bryant received ample praise on social media for its #PlusIsEqual campaign and ad in Vogue's September issue. This was significant because it took place at the same time as New York Fashion Week (NYFW), which typically celebrates fashion with thin models.

Lane Bryant, which previously launched its #ImNoAngel campaign as a response to Victoria's Secret Angels, was celebrated on social media for its continued efforts to promote positive body image:

ATTN: has reported before that the market for plus-size women's clothing was worth $9 billion in 2014, but much of the fashion industry hasn't taken the opportunity to cater to this demographic. Lane Bryant CEO and president Linda Heasley noted this in a recent statement about the #PlusIsEqual campaign:

"110 years ago Lane Bryant was created to offer 'our size women' fashionable well-made clothing. Traditional department and specialty stores simply didn't stock them in any depth so these women's needs were not being met. What is amazing is that over a century later, most retailers still offer extremely limited options to our customer so we're as relevant a brand now as we were when we were first founded. Though 67% of women range in size 14-24, the media still fails to represent them. The inequality exists and we're continuing to balance the equation. Plus is Equal. Our women are not only equal they are sexy and fabulous!"

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