#Aeriereal: The Campaign
I personally try to support clothing lines and stores that are congruent with my views. Meaning, I have been looking for a clothing store that sells bras and underwear that also promotes positive body image and doesn’t sexualize women. I was in the middle of Times Square when I saw the billboard for the #aeriereal campaign. Aerie, a lingerie store, exhibits a picture of a model with the caption, “The girl in this photo has not been retouched. The real you is sexy. #aeriereal.”
When I first laid eyes on the humongous billboard, my initial reaction was excitement. Then, I thought about all of the times I saw aerie advertisements hanging all around the malls, New York City, magazines, etc. I have been disgusted in the past by how aerie, like most of our culture, had a spotlight on the petite white girl with an extra focus on her big boobs. I started to wonder whether aerie was making an authentic change in the way they marketed their lingerie, which would then in fact be another jumpstart to changing our culture
Real or Re-touched?
Of course, a few days after the campaign’s initial launch, an interview came out from Elle with Amber Tolliver, one of the aerie models, in which she said, “I do like to see a little retouching on myself. I mean, any normal person is slightly insecure about little things on their body, and you can blink an eye and poof it’s gone [in retouching], great.” This is quite disheartening. I would have liked to know that Ms. Tolliver wants every woman to be accepting of her insecurities, and that those insecurities being pictured in her un-retouched photographs as a model are what make her real. The retouching that she appreciates so much is a false portrayal of who she really is
My wish is for her to understand that, and for you to as well. Our culture desires for us to have imperfections, and for us to dwell on them. Amber Tolliver also said in the interview, “But to recreate a human being using a computer process is a bit of an attack on who you naturally are. Like, if I’m not good enough or if I’m not beautiful enough, then why’d you book me? …you learn to let a lot of these things just roll off your back.” We absolutely all do have insecurities, and Ms. Tolliver is right about that.
Clear authentic vision
It is so important to have lenses of media literacy, understanding that those girls in the photos are not as they appear. We can’t look like the super perfect appearing girls and guys in the catalogues and online shopping websites. This is especially important to remember if you are recovering from an eating disorder. When I was in treatment for an eating disorder, I was taught that the clothes are made to fit the person, a person is not made to fit the clothes. This mantra was replayed in my head repeatedly when shopping or just trying to get ready on a normal day.
As a Get Smart voice, I think it’s time to rally against our culture and show the world that we are okay with our insecurities. We can grow to be at peace with them, or even learn to love them. I credit aerie for helping us see that retouching should not be okay, because the real YOU is sexy, but the real you is much more than just that. Forget about being real, YOU are the only YOU, and YOU have a voice, and YOU have power. Don’t let things just roll off your back when they infringe upon your worth and your person. Be proud to be you.
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Read more: Amber Tolliver Interview – Unretouched Models – ELLE
Chernikoff , L. (2014, 01 20). The truth about retouching: One model speaks out. Retrieved from http://www.elle.com/news/beauty-makeup/unretouched-models-amber-tolliver
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