Justice

Target Australia Just Showed How Lingerie Ads Should Be Done

February 6th 2016

Target Australia just released its Valentine's Day lingerie guide, and it's a win for body positivity. The campaign features both plus-size and older models, proving that companies are finally beginning to understand the importance of representing different body types.

But model diversity isn't a new concept for the retailer. Target Australia's swimsuit ads and active wear ads have been featuring women of all body types, almost always accompanied by body-positive captions. 

Last September, Target Australia first gained attention for its body positive message when it revealed plans to feature plus-size mannequins up to AU size 20 (the equivalent of size 16 in the U.S.) in all their stores. According to Brit+Co, in Australia the average dress size is a 14 (size 12 in the U.S.), so the mannequins would be more relatable to shoppers.

Target Australia earned more praise for promoting body diversity upon releasing a swimsuit catalog featuring a wide range of body types in December last year.

Seeing different types of bodies in advertisements for lingerie might not be what most people are accustomed to, but it's more important than most people think. In the mainstream, thin bodies have always been hailed as the standard, singular form of beauty and sex appeal for women through commercial images. These images not only fail to represent the beauty of other body types, but are also ultimately misleading: The female body is diverse, and it's destructive to show off and glorify only one type. Last year ATTN: reported on how Victoria's Secret faced backlash for "Perfect Body" campaign, which lacked diversity in body type.

Related: Tess Holliday Just Nailed the Problem With Victoria's Secret

But recently, many other apparel companies have started embracing the all-inclusive approach of Target Australia.

Last summer, American Eagle announced it would no longer be photoshopping its models and launched the #AerieReal campaign to promote body acceptance and positivity in advertising by signing plus-size model Barbie Ferreira. In September, Lane Bryant introduced its "I'm No Angel" line of lingerie for plus-size women and in December, David's Bridal featured plus-size model Mercy Watson.

On social media, apparel companies everywhere are starting to promote a body-positive message.

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Do you think more plus-size models would send a body positive message to consumers?

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