US Lingerie Campaign Applauded For Using ‘Real’ Un-Airbrushed Model

US lingerie brand Aerie is in the spotlight for all the right reasons, after using gorgeous, self-professed “curve model” Barbie Ferreira in its latest campaign.

Ferreira is one of four women to feature in Aerie’s #AerieREAL campaign, which claims to feature ‘real’ women, ‘real’ bodies and absolutely no Photoshopping, something that started when they took a pledge in 2014 to always use un-airbrushed photos of women wearing its products.

A campaign video features 19-year-old Ferreira, who has rustled up a cool 200,000+ Instagram following, imparting her body image wisdom while showing off her curves in a pink bikini.

“Not being retouched in the images is something that’s very important to me,” Ferreira says in the short video. “People knowing that that’s what I look like without anyone’s perception of what my body needs to look like.”

“I am unapologetically myself, no matter what anyone’s opinion is.”

Speaking to Refinery29, Aerie global brand president Jen Foyle said, “We cast Barbie because she’s got nothing to hide, she’s strong and beautiful — she embraces her real self, which is the spirit of the Aerie Real message.”

When people attacked her recent campaign, she took to Twitter to show her critics that they aren’t getting to her.

Have to remind myself that ppl r so cruel n wrong bout bodies bc they never see average bodies on their screens n it’s new to them
— barbie (@boredbarbara) January 24, 2016

In another Tweet, she told her followers that she’s a size 12 and is very healthy.

Speaking to i-D in November, Ferreira said the term “plus-size” was “inaccurate” and praised Instagram for providing a “raw, uncensored platform” for girls to model without limitations on their size or look.

Many people are responding positively to Aerie’s campaigns, and according to Business Insider, the #aerieREAL campaign has helped the retailer’s recent quarter sales jump 21 per cent.

Social media support has been flowing thick and fast since the campaign’s inception:

More brands need to be like Aerie, who is honestly at the forefront of the body positive movement pic.twitter.com/rcKcDpInBj — bb-8 (@gabby_frost) January 23, 2016

#aerieREAL I will start shopping at #aerie just for them representing real untouched up women.
— Aloha Ke Akua (@KillahKurlz) January 24, 2016

@boredbarbara Thank you for not perpetuating the irresponsible and unattainable photo-shopped body types in most mags. You are beautiful!
— Velma Rocks (@velmarocks) January 25, 2016

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