For a long time, fashion brands happily ignored body positivity and the plus-size community. But times are changing, and brands like Aerie — the lounge wear offshoot of American Eagle — are spending big to earn a reputation of “inclusivity.” With a portfolio of unretouched ads and a cast of curvy models that includes Barbie Ferreira and Iskra Lawrence, Aerie is seen as the anti-Victoria’s Secret. “We celebrate body positivity and embrace a more realistic image of girls and women in our marketing and our product,” Aerie president Jennifer Foyle told Brand Channel. But is Aerie really body positive? I’m on the verge of being able to shop at Aerie, but given that many of its items are loungewear with plenty of stretch, I hoped I’d find something. The fact that I have to “hope” is strike number one for Aerie. For a brand that wants to be inclusive, its size chart is a joke (except I’m not laughing). I was pissed that a so-called body-positive brand didn’t even carry my size. Last year, Aerie sales spiked 20% (in comparison to the parent AE brand sales) as a result of its savvy marketing moves and buzzy #AerieREAL campaign. It’s making bank off body positivity. “When I saw Jess picking this sweater off the rack, I had my doubts — this style of sleeve rarely looks good on me. But then I put it on and immediately realized I was wrong. I wasn’t a fan of the color, but the sweater itself was SOFT AF without being too heavy. It’s also roomy enough to throw over a swimsuit. But to be honest, given the size of this sweatshirt, I expected it to be much bigger,” said Nicola. “Shout-out to Aerie’s sales associates for being so supportive and kind to me while trying on swimwear. I received a hell of a lot of compliments when I stepped out of the dressing room, but I was not feeling this suit AT ALL. Unlike the way it looks on Iskra Lawrence in the promotional imagery, it became very transparent on me — especially around the breast padding. The way the suit fits doesn’t support my breasts at all, and instead, they’re forced to lay flat against my body. All in all, it’s just not a cute look for me,” said Nicola. Aerie’s commitment to unretouched ads and and body-diverse models deserves all the praise in the world, but if those ads don’t translate to an inclusive shopping experience for consumers, what is it all for? PR and marketing, that’s what.
title: “We Went To Aerie And Saw Why It S Not Body Positive” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-26” author: “Frank Ryan”
For a long time, fashion brands happily ignored body positivity and the plus-size community. But times are changing, and brands like Aerie — the lounge wear offshoot of American Eagle — are spending big to earn a reputation of “inclusivity.” With a portfolio of unretouched ads and a cast of curvy models that includes Barbie Ferreira and Iskra Lawrence, Aerie is seen as the anti-Victoria’s Secret. “We celebrate body positivity and embrace a more realistic image of girls and women in our marketing and our product,” Aerie president Jennifer Foyle told Brand Channel. But is Aerie really body positive? I’m on the verge of being able to shop at Aerie, but given that many of its items are loungewear with plenty of stretch, I hoped I’d find something. The fact that I have to “hope” is strike number one for Aerie. For a brand that wants to be inclusive, its size chart is a joke (except I’m not laughing). I was pissed that a so-called body-positive brand didn’t even carry my size. Last year, Aerie sales spiked 20% (in comparison to the parent AE brand sales) as a result of its savvy marketing moves and buzzy #AerieREAL campaign. It’s making bank off body positivity. “When I saw Jess picking this sweater off the rack, I had my doubts — this style of sleeve rarely looks good on me. But then I put it on and immediately realized I was wrong. I wasn’t a fan of the color, but the sweater itself was SOFT AF without being too heavy. It’s also roomy enough to throw over a swimsuit. But to be honest, given the size of this sweatshirt, I expected it to be much bigger,” said Nicola. “Shout-out to Aerie’s sales associates for being so supportive and kind to me while trying on swimwear. I received a hell of a lot of compliments when I stepped out of the dressing room, but I was not feeling this suit AT ALL. Unlike the way it looks on Iskra Lawrence in the promotional imagery, it became very transparent on me — especially around the breast padding. The way the suit fits doesn’t support my breasts at all, and instead, they’re forced to lay flat against my body. All in all, it’s just not a cute look for me,” said Nicola. Aerie’s commitment to unretouched ads and and body-diverse models deserves all the praise in the world, but if those ads don’t translate to an inclusive shopping experience for consumers, what is it all for? PR and marketing, that’s what.
title: “We Went To Aerie And Saw Why It S Not Body Positive” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-14” author: “Ted Kennedy”
For a long time, fashion brands happily ignored body positivity and the plus-size community. But times are changing, and brands like Aerie — the lounge wear offshoot of American Eagle — are spending big to earn a reputation of “inclusivity.” With a portfolio of unretouched ads and a cast of curvy models that includes Barbie Ferreira and Iskra Lawrence, Aerie is seen as the anti-Victoria’s Secret. “We celebrate body positivity and embrace a more realistic image of girls and women in our marketing and our product,” Aerie president Jennifer Foyle told Brand Channel. But is Aerie really body positive? I’m on the verge of being able to shop at Aerie, but given that many of its items are loungewear with plenty of stretch, I hoped I’d find something. The fact that I have to “hope” is strike number one for Aerie. For a brand that wants to be inclusive, its size chart is a joke (except I’m not laughing). I was pissed that a so-called body-positive brand didn’t even carry my size. Last year, Aerie sales spiked 20% (in comparison to the parent AE brand sales) as a result of its savvy marketing moves and buzzy #AerieREAL campaign. It’s making bank off body positivity. “When I saw Jess picking this sweater off the rack, I had my doubts — this style of sleeve rarely looks good on me. But then I put it on and immediately realized I was wrong. I wasn’t a fan of the color, but the sweater itself was SOFT AF without being too heavy. It’s also roomy enough to throw over a swimsuit. But to be honest, given the size of this sweatshirt, I expected it to be much bigger,” said Nicola. “Shout-out to Aerie’s sales associates for being so supportive and kind to me while trying on swimwear. I received a hell of a lot of compliments when I stepped out of the dressing room, but I was not feeling this suit AT ALL. Unlike the way it looks on Iskra Lawrence in the promotional imagery, it became very transparent on me — especially around the breast padding. The way the suit fits doesn’t support my breasts at all, and instead, they’re forced to lay flat against my body. All in all, it’s just not a cute look for me,” said Nicola. Aerie’s commitment to unretouched ads and and body-diverse models deserves all the praise in the world, but if those ads don’t translate to an inclusive shopping experience for consumers, what is it all for? PR and marketing, that’s what.
