In an age of seemingly impossible beauty standards, feeling like we don’t match up the model of perfectionism we scroll every day on our Instagram feeds can come with frustratingly regularity.
Which is why we’re loud and proud supporters of positive representation in fashion and beauty, whether that’s M&S’s new lingerie campaign centring real women proudly displaying their natural bodies, or Primark’s gorgeous, gap-toothed model showing off her teeth for their latest swimwear collection.
One retailer who’s paving the way forward when it comes to a truly inclusive, body positive philosophy is ASOS, who is being praised for using a truly diverse range of models in its new campaign imagery.
As any woman who’s ever shopped online will attest, it’s pretty difficult to judge how an item of clothing will look on your body when the models – and mannequins – are universally thin, white, and flawlessly filtered.
So it’s great to be reminded that ASOS, as one Twitter user by the name of Anna helpfully pointed out, is raising the profile of normal, natural bodies to accompany their clothes descriptions on the website.
The refreshing model images are a lesson in what diversity actually means in practice. It’s not simply about representing a range of body types and ethnicities, which should be commonplace in 2019 anyway. It’s about phasing out the pervasive filtering, editing and erasion of women’s unique characteristics, and allowing the reality of our bodies – with their stomach rolls, spots, scars, stretch marks, veins and hair – to shine through.
Happily, ASOS has form when it comes to positive representation, and has long been using inclusive models to advertise clothes on their website. As other Twitter users have pointed out, it’s vital to see ourselves reflected back in the imagery we consume every day – and to that we’d add, especially important to see these bodies proudly on display in lingerie and swimwear.
And while a the lure of the ‘New In’ section often tempts us into an impromptu lunchtime scroll, sometimes we just want to spend a little time appreciating the diversity of womanhood, as one Twitter user by the name of Sarah McGonagall, so beautifully expressed.
“Sometimes I’ll go on the @ASOS lingerie website not even to buy anything, but just to bask in the magnificence of real, unretouched bodies like my own being celebrated and represented by a major brand.”
Can we get an “Amen” up in here?
