Aerie is on a mission to prove brands don’t need angel wings or Photoshop to sell underwear.
On Thursday, the American Eagle-owned company announced actresses Busy Philipps, Jameela Jamil and Samira Wiley as the stars — or rather, “Role Models” — of its new campaign. Philipps, 39, Jamil, 32, and Wiley, 31, join Aerie alumna Iskra Lawrence, Aly Raisman and Cleo Wade, as well as gold medal Paralympian snowboarder Brenna Huckaby and blind YouTuber Molly Burke in the brand’s latest #AerieREAL ads.
In addition to a diverse cast, the new ads feature zero digital retouching. Aerie first announced its commitment to Photoshop-free campaigns five years ago, in a groundbreaking move for a brand focused predominantly on swimwear and lingerie.
“A plus size model, a Paralympian, a south Asian, a black woman, a gay woman, a blind woman, activists, game changers, and women who use their platform to fight for others,” Jamil, who is known for speaking out in favor of inclusivity and body positivity, wrote on Twitter. “I’ve never seen a campaign like this before that represents so many minorities, and I’m proud to be in it.”
“Orange Is the New Black” star Wiley told Fashionista that she’s “every single minority you can think of … I’m black, I’m gay. I’m a woman — I just got it!”
Philipps similarly stressed the campaign’s importance on Instagram. “I wish I had seen images of different women’s bodies in media when I was growing up,” she wrote. “I wish I hadn’t been sold the lie that to achieve true happiness I needed a flat tummy and no hips so I could look like a model in an ad.”
Continued the “Busy Tonight” host: “@aerie is about empowering women and girls by showing images of real unretouched bodies. I know for a fact I want my daughters to grow up in a world where they know and understand that true beauty comes from the inside out and true beauty doesn’t ever look just one way.”
