Meet Aerie, The Lingerie Brand That Uses 100% Unretouched Bodies

Here’s a turn-up for the #StopTheShame books, we thought, when we read about Aerie lingerie’s brave move towards 100% unretouching, which they’re calling #aerieReal. Yeah, sure, to you and us, that doesn’t sound like much to shout home about, but in a knickers ‘n’ bra industry dominated by Victoria’s Secret and its impossibly perfect – read, often Photoshopped and surgically-enhanced – Angels, it’s actually no mean feat.

Aerie, a line owned by American Eagle Outfitters, took the move last year, and we’re unsurprised to learn that sales have been boosted 9% since. “The purpose of ‘aerie Real’ is to communicate there’s no need to retouch beauty, and to give young women of all shapes and sizes the chance to discover amazing styles that work best for them. We want to help empower young women to be confident in themselves and their bodies,” says the brand’s Chief Merchandising Officer, Jennifer Foyle.

The brand is using models who don’t conform to the fashion industry’s narrow ideal, who have bums, boobs and bellies, whose back ‘fat’ or miniscule amount of cellulite isn’t removed using photo-manipulating tools and who have thick thighs, as well as girls who are naturally, and beautifully, willowy and slim. In other words, the sort of women we all see around us each and every day, as opposed to one impossible standard none of us can meet.

It’s clearly working. Comments on its Instagram, @aerie, read, “you don’t know how much I appreciate seeing large companies like you showing real models and their REAL photos. It means so much to so many girls… So thank you, really,” and, “this makes me so happy.”

Aerie’s stance proves that we really do want to be marketed to using realistic body standards, and that also makes us really happy at STELLAR.

What we also love is lingerie, that fits our curves and enhances what we’ve got. Whaddya know? Here’s some to love, right here:

• Aerie
• body confidence
• Lingerie
• StopTheShame