We went to Aerie and saw why it's NOT body positive
Body positivity is an avenue for women and men to appreciate their bodies no matter what.
For a long time, fashion brands happily ignored body positivity and the plus-size community. But times are changing, and brands like Aerie — the lounge wear offshoot of American Eagle — are spending big to earn a reputation of "inclusivity."
With a portfolio of unretouched ads and a cast of curvy models that includes Barbie Ferreira and Iskra Lawrence, Aerie is seen as the anti-Victoria's Secret.
"We celebrate body positivity and embrace a more realistic image of girls and women in our marketing and our product," Aerie president Jennifer Foyle told Brand Channel.
But is Aerie really body positive?
My coworker Nicola and I went to Aerie to try and shop. Sizes in the store range from XXS (00) to 2X (18).
Nicola wears a 1X or 14/16, and I'm a 2X to 3X or 18 to 22, depending on the brand.
I'm on the verge of being able to shop at Aerie, but given that many of its items are loungewear with plenty of stretch, I hoped I'd find something.
The fact that I have to "hope" is strike number one for Aerie. For a brand that wants to be inclusive, its size chart is a joke (except I'm not laughing).
After we realized there weren't any 2Xs in the store, I decided to try on the 1X.
Bad idea, I know.
I was pissed that a so-called body-positive brand didn't even carry my size.
Last year, Aerie sales spiked 20% (in comparison to the parent AE brand sales) as a result of its savvy marketing moves and buzzy #AerieREAL campaign.
It's making bank off body positivity.
We started with bralettes, and I already knew this was going to be a rough ride for me.
Happy rockin' unlined bra ($10, Aerie)
Nicola is a frequent Aerie shopper. She enjoyed every second of this — because she has the kind of body that Aerie is comfortable with.
"This was one of Aerie's bralette styles that I had never tried before, and I fell in love with it the second I slipped it on. It held everything exactly where it should be, it was comfortable, it was cute, the color complemented my skin tone. I have literally no complaints," said Nicola.
The second look we tried was a basic shift black dress.
Open back tank dress ($20, Aerie)
Nicola usually has trouble finding a shift dress at a straight size store.
"Along with the bralette, I didn't even give a second thought to buying this dress. Shift dresses like this aren't usually an option for me in straight size stores — the largest size is either too tight for a shift dress or doesn't cover my butt. This one, however, was absolutely perfect for me. I adore the small opening in the back, which gives you a little peek of the cute bralette," said Nicola.
Next up was this bell sleeve sweater.
Ruffle sleeve sweatshirt ($ 28, Aerie)
"When I saw Jess picking this sweater off the rack, I had my doubts — this style of sleeve rarely looks good on me. But then I put it on and immediately realized I was wrong. I wasn't a fan of the color, but the sweater itself was SOFT AF without being too heavy. It's also roomy enough to throw over a swimsuit. But to be honest, given the size of this sweatshirt, I expected it to be much bigger," said Nicola.
Last up was swimwear. Nicola chose a suit modeled by Iskra Lawrence in Aerie's summer campaign.
Piping one-piece swimsuit ($33, Aerie)
"Shout-out to Aerie's sales associates for being so supportive and kind to me while trying on swimwear. I received a hell of a lot of compliments when I stepped out of the dressing room, but I was not feeling this suit AT ALL. Unlike the way it looks on Iskra Lawrence in the promotional imagery, it became very transparent on me — especially around the breast padding. The way the suit fits doesn't support my breasts at all, and instead, they're forced to lay flat against my body. All in all, it's just not a cute look for me," said Nicola.
It's clear that Aerie is not as body positive as it claims to be.
Shopping here didn't make me feel confident — it made me feel left out and ignored.
Aerie's commitment to unretouched ads and and body-diverse models deserves all the praise in the world, but if those ads don't translate to an inclusive shopping experience for consumers, what is it all for? PR and marketing, that's what.
Dear Aerie: Body positivity is not a marketing strategy to help your bottom line.
Do better.