The internet is buzzing about underwear brand Aerie’s new ads.
The campaign, titled Aerie Bras Make You Feel Real Good, features women of diverse sizes, ages and backgrounds — as well as women with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses.
Some models — many of whom were sourced through social media — pose with crutches or in wheelchairs. Others display their permanent medical accessories, including colostomy bags and diabetes monitors.
Brand spokeswomen Iskra Lawrence, a body-positivity activist, and Aly Raisman, an Olympic gymnast and sexual-assault survivor, are also in the campaign.
Fans of the photos are taking to social media.
“I literally cried when I saw this today. Thank you @Aerie for making my daughter a little less self conscious about her diabetes,” a Twitter user says.
“It means so much to have people who look like me on a major website modeling and representing beauty – because #DisabilityIsBeautiful!” says another.
Aerie stopped photoshopping models in 2014, and the brand’s ads are known to show models’ scars, stretch marks, body hair and braces.
Their positive spin on marketing is paying off: In May, it was reported that the lingerie sect of the American Eagle company boosted record sales for the overall brand.
The brand’s commitment to diversity is part of a larger push for change in the fashion industry, which is slowly adapting to be more inclusive.
