#AerieREAL: One brand brings medical diversity into campaigns written by Allison Fladd and Lily Hicks photographed by Kristen Uppercue
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here’s a term that scientists use known as ‘symbolic annihilation,’ which is the idea that if you don’t see people like you in the media you consume, you feel unimportant. In other words, the media we consume doesn’t just keep us entertained and informed, it can negatively affect how we feel about ourselves and others. This is why representation in media, including advertising, matters. Aerie is one brand that realized how important representation is and the company took advantage of its power in their AerieREAL campaign. This campaign was created to be inclusive and incorporate girls that may not have been shown in media otherwise. Aerie, a sub-brand of American Eagle Outfitters, specializes in products such as lingerie, everyday bras and underwear, activewear, sleep apparel, as well as items for college dorms and bedrooms. You can buy Aerie in American Eagle stores, online and in a few standalone stores. While the AerieReal campaign was launched in 2014, the brand recently published an advertisement within the campaign featuring women with different health conditions, illnesses, body types and racial backgrounds. In a release, Aerie says that the women chosen to participate in the advertisements for this campaign were chosen because they 67
“represent the inclusive beauty that makes up the DNA of the brand, which is committed to empowering all customers to embrace and love their real selves.” Aerie created this campaign to improve young girls’ perceptions about body image. The company uses no photoshop at all. Their campaign, showcasing models with health conditions, went viral within hours of launching.
referred to as an invisible illness, meaning that you wouldn’t be able to tell if someone had the disease just by looking at them. “I have two machines attached to my body at all times,” Dunlap said. “So, in times like the summer when I’m at the beach, or even when I’m wearing a short-sleeve shirt, it isn’t
“They were unapologetically disabled, completely unafraid to own who they are...at last I felt heard. I felt seen. I felt represented. I felt beautiful.”
There were many positive reactions. Many women posted that they had never related so closely to a media campaign or company. This was especially true for women with the same health conditions as the models in the campaign.
Carmen Dunlap, a junior at Old Dominion University, was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes at four-yearsold. Type-1 Diabetes, or T1D, is an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas produces little to no insulin. Insulin is needed to move blood sugar into cells throughout the human body and too much or too little can be very harmful to the human body and even result in death. Dunlap wears an insulin pump and a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) that helps to administer and regulate her insulin. T1D is often
invisible at all.” Eveyln Riddell, one of the models in the new campaign, wears the same devices in the advertisement. This was life-changing for Dunlap. “The Aerie Real campaign means so much to me because I have never seen a model who looks like me in ads and in stores before,” Dunlap said. “One of the models for the campaign has T1D as well, and many of her pictures in the campaign show her wearing her insulin pump and CGM. It makes me really happy that young girls are going to be able to see themselves in her when they walk into Aerie or go on their website. If I could have been 12-years-old and seen a T1D model in a mainstream store like Aerie, I think it would have helped my self esteem so much.”
