US lingerie brand praised for featuring ‘curvy’, un-airbrushed teenager in latest campaign

A US lingerie brand has been praised for its revolutionary marketing after using a “curvy”, un-airbrushed teenager to model in its latest campaign.

Barbie Ferreira, a self-proclaimed “curve model”, is one of four women to feature in Aerie’s, a lingerie line from American Eagle, #AerieREAL campaign, which claims to feature “real” women, “real” bodies and no Photoshopping.

Nineteen-year-old Ms Ferreira, who has been dubbed the “Queen of in-between”, stars in the brand’s The Real You Is Sexy advertisement, which aims to foster body positivity through “loving your real self”.

The campaign video shows Ms Ferreira, who boasts over 200,000 Instagram followers, in a pink bikini reciting nuggets of body positive wisdom.

“I am unapologetically myself, no matter what anyone’s opinion is,” Ms Ferreira says in the video.

“Not being retouched in the images is something that’s very important to me – people knowing that, that’s what I look like without anyone’s perception of what my body needs to look like.”  

Both Ms Ferreira and Aerie’s campaign have been widely praised on social media:

More brands need to be like Aerie, who is honestly at the forefront of the body positive movement pic.twitter.com/rcKcDpInBj

— bb-8 (@gabby_frost) January 23, 2016

@boredbarbara Thank you for not perpetuating the irresponsible and unattainable photo-shopped body types in most mags. You are beautiful!

— Velma Rocks (@velmarocks) January 25, 2016

#aerieREAL I will start shopping at #aerie just for them representing real untouched up women.

— Aloha Ke Akua (@KillahKurlz) January 24, 2016

Love the #aerieREAL campaign, love the skin you’re in

— AyAlexandra (@Sandrita915) January 25, 2016

Major kudos to @Aerie for its #AerieREAL campaign feat. @boredbarbara https://t.co/hd0smNIjsb. Very beautiful empowering. #InspiringWomen

— Scott Bryant (@scottbryant_) January 25, 2016

Speaking to i-D in November Ms Ferreira said the term “plus-size” was “inaccurate” and praised Instagram for providing a “raw, uncensored platform” for girls to model without limitations on their size or look.

“We cast Barbie because she’s got nothing to hide, she’s strong and beautiful – she embraces her real self, which is the spirit of the Aerie Real message,” Aerie global brand president, Jen Foyle, told Refinery29.

Aerie released a pledge in 2014 to always use un-airbrushed photos of women wearing its products. At the time, the line’s “style and fit expert”, Jenny Altman, told ABC News  the company wanted to “show everything”, including birth marks and tattoos.

Last year Victoria’s Secret was attacked by commenters on Facebook for using a highly air-brushed image in one of its social media campaigns. The brand has since faced backlash from its customers to become more savvy to Photoshopping in adverts.   

According to Business Insider, Aerie’s sales increased 18 per cent in the second quarter of 2015, compared to just 3 per cent at Victoria’s Secret.

• More about:
• Barbie Ferreira
• Aerie
• American Eagle

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