For years, swimsuit ads have been dominated by stick-thin women posing in swimwear on the beach or near a pool.
Of course, these models’ bodies were not meant to represent how real women actually look. Instead, they were designed to sell the product they were advertising by showing women what the “ideal” appearance looked like.
But over the years, more and more people have taken notice, and feminists and other activists have started to question why these images are so prevalent in our society.
Social media has played a huge role in this collective questioning.
More and more women are demanding to see bodies like theirs displayed in ads and in media. And in a time when more media than ever is created by independent content creators rather than by huge corporations, there is an obvious shift happening. Some big brands are starting to take notice, including Target.
Aerie, American Eagle’s intimates brand, was perhaps one of the first large companies to advertise the fact that it was using unretouched photos in its ads.
Other corporations saw the positive reaction Aerie was getting and decided to follow suit.
Target, one of the most popular mainstream stores in the country, is the next to jump on the “body positive” bandwagon. Its new line of swimwear ads features more normal-looking women as opposed to the tiny models that used to grace its ads in years prior.
Many people are applauding Target for being more inclusive and using women who represent more average body types.
Instead of using body-shaming tactics as a way to sell clothes, the company is embracing what women actually look like. Not only does this help Target sell more clothes in an era when body positivity is all the rage, but it also has a positive impact on consumers who don’t feel like they have to lose a significant amount of weight to even fit into the same clothes the models are wearing.
On top of the fact that a more diverse range of body types are being displayed, the photos are also unretouched, meaning that photographers haven’t altered them to make the models’ bodies look more perfect.
This is a perfect reflection of the cultural shift that has taken place in the last several years toward more body positivity.
However, not everyone has only positive praise for Target.
Many complain that Target and other companies with similar ad campaigns are still overwhelmingly representing one certain kind of look. Even though some of the women might be larger than average models, most of them still boast a traditionally attractive hourglass shape. Some worry that this is simply trading in one ideal body type for another rather than truly highlighting different types of bodies.
Other companies, like Lane Bryant, are trying to be even more progressive.
The company’s new fitness line features models with a variety of body shapes, showing that you don’t have to be tiny and muscular to hit the gym. Ads like these are also garnering a significant amount of praise from body-positive speakers and influencers, and customers seem to appreciate the inclusion, as well.
Hopefully, as time goes on, these ads will become even more inclusive than they are now.
In the future, little girls may not have to be as concerned with their appearance as women today seem to be. Instead, they can focus on all the fun things they can do while they are at the beach, working out, or whatever else they are doing.
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