This March, Target of America took a major step outside of the norm with new swimsuit ads that have not been photoshopped or filtered.
Each spring and summer, Target fans look forward to the latest trendy and affordable swimwear, released in the store and online. Now, every woman can find their own favorite swimsuit and not have to worry about having that ridiculously unachievable ‘swimsuit body.’
Sadly, Target is really the only stand-out company who is making the effort to celebrate body diversity and not discriminate against a woman’s size. Certain trending fashion sites have been a bit slow on getting the memo that size doesn’t matter and all women should be treated equally.
AERIE SWIMWEAR
Aerie’s swimwear‘s feature ad features two women: a skinnier woman on the left and on the right a woman who is considered ‘average,’ not plus size. While Aerie has taken a step in the right direction by not ‘labeling’ size, they do not currently represent plus size alongside their other sizes in their front page ads.
VICTORIA’S SECRET PINK SWIMWEAR
Then take a look at Victoria’s Secret PINK swimwear website…
Victoria’s Secret is notorious for photoshopping their images and only advertising women of a certain (tiny) size. It is as if they assume all women are a size zero, have toned bodies and all have the same ‘cookie-cutter’ look.
But this is where Victoria’s Secret should be thinking about changing their advertising.
How is it fair to a woman of a larger size who really wants a cute PINK swimsuit but can’t make the purchase because the sizing for her body is unavailable? That is a con to the customer, to the sales team, and most importantly, to their apparent lack of support for women of all sizes.
To top it off; if you’ve ever tried on anything at Victoria’s Secret, it seems as if their sizes are distorted and you sometimes have to go a size up. But, in reality, you are a true medium in every other clothing store. Hmm…
FOREVER 21 PLUS-SIZE SWIMWEAR
This image for Forever 21 is the main image featured on their plus size tab. However, if you head over to their women’s swimwear section, skinny and fit women exlusively appear on the page. So it appears that Forever 21 may be trying to appeal to a wider audience of consumers, but they are technically still putting a ‘label’ on it.
Target’s Body-Positivity Campaign Is Making A Difference
Target’s change in advertising un-photoshopped women is creating the change we all need.
Still happening today in the advertising and media industry are advertisements of unachievable looks and can make other men and women feel pressured. This really does affect a child’s confidence and their insecurities more than you would think.
Media exposure can make consumers feel like they may need to starve themselves, work out excessively and continue to critique their body, while Target’s media exposure can make women feel empowered and confident in the body that they were given and that they have the ability to rock!
Target’s body positivity message is extremely important, especially in our current society.
While the rest of the world’s media and advertising companies may not decide to join in this movement, we can only hope that Target continues in their accomplishments in spreading the word and motivate other brands to accept the beautifully diverse world we live in.
