American Eagle’s swim and intimates brand, Aerie, has made a name for itself in recent years by presenting their models in all their un-retouched glory. Now, the brand has taken body positivity an important step further by including not only un-retouched models of different body types, but models with varying abilities, visible illnesses, body hair and more for their “Aerie Bras Make You Feel Real Good” campaign.
After putting out a social media call for videos from people explaining why they wanted to be part of the brand’s #AerieREAL initiative, Aerie pared down its cast—which includes models with Down Syndrome, vitiligo, colostomy bags, hearings aids, wheelchairs and crutches—from over 2,000 entries. As Aerie Global Brand President Jennifer Foyle shared with fashion site Fashionista:
As a brand, Aerie has been a leader in empowering women and celebrating inclusivity and body positivity since our launch of #AerieREAL in 2014. Our newest bra models are part of our brand’s ongoing commitment to show real, authentic and unretouched women, who are at the core of everything that we do.
A look at the brand’s bra page is a wonderful glimpse at a variety of women who appear to be feeling genuinely good in their bras, and the campaign is getting a genuinely enthusiastic response on social media.