Aerie’s president, Jennifer Foyle says, “I think what we’re looking to do is create a bond. We want this to be a bond that young girls can hold hands on and day ‘I wanna be part of that brand!’”(Schlossberg, 2015).
To be fair, these models have vigorous diets and workouts to keep themselves in shape. However, the constant bombardment of these images creates unattainable goals and unrealistic body images for both women and men. Young girls think if they do not look like these models, they will never be sexy while men judge women on their bodies over their brain. It is dangerous and damaging to a young girl’s self esteem. Again, it is important to emphasize that the Angels are real women. They just happen to be real women that are extremely blessed in the genetics department. Aerie’s revolutionary campaign allows women to see imperfections that one wouldn’t find in a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. Aerie wants girls to see that their honest self is sexy and that they can be confortable in their own skin.
Fortunately, Aerie has seen a great payoff because of this campaign. Mallory Schlossberg of Business Insider writes, “On a recent earnings call, American Eagle Outfitters revealed that in the second quarter alone, Aerie’s comparable store sales increased by 18%” (2015). Young women are investing time and money in Aerie’s message, which is what Foyle was originally hoping for. Their campaign is working and the message is getting louder.
Aerie has broken through and has really made a name for them in competition to Victoria’s Secret. They have become a major leader in the great Photoshop debate. They still have a very long way to catch up to Victoria’s Secret but they are gaining strength. I think this campaign is definitely something consumers should be standing behind. The one aspect of this campaign that it could go without is the negative connotation of being a supermodel. These women all work extremely and there is no reason to put them down. Whose to say what a real woman is? A nonjudgmental person is sexy, let’s be real about that.
Schlossberg, M. (2015, August 27). This lingerie brand for young women stopped airbrushing photos - and sales are soaring. Retrieved September 5, 2015.