American Eagle’s Aerie has women buying in to airbrush-free lingerie – KSDK.com

NOTE: This story originally appeared on

Today.com.

Lingerie has long been about feeling sexy, but now one company is trying to reshape what that means, moving away from industry standards and the idea of a “perfect body.”

American Eagle Outfitters’ lingerie line, Aerie, is telling women in a new campaign that “the real you is sexy.” And more than just the slogan, Aerie’s campaign features women with zero airbrushing.

“We celebrate each girl’s real beauty, so we’ll showcase tattoos, curves, beauty marks, scars, all the things that make them who they are,” Aerie’s president, Jen Foyle, told NBC’s Betty Nguyen for TODAY.

The response from women on social media has been largely positive, with many women appreciating the refreshing step away from industry standards.

And the approach is paying off.

“Revenue has really spiked,” said Jharonne Martis, director of consumer research at Thomson Reuters. “They’re outperformed on both revenue and earnings.”

Despite its success, it’s still an uphill battle to tackle industry leader Victoria’s Secret.

“Aerie certainly has a chance against Victoria’s Secret,” said CNBC’s Courtney Reagan. “But I think it would take quite a while for Aerie to really dig at the market share that Vctoria’s Secret and Pink brand has already gained.”

Actress Emma Roberts has also signed on as a model for Aeire’s fall campaign. One of the campaign’s current models, Yelena Noah, said that the campaign is so powerful because it embraces what makes people unique.

“We are all different and we all have different bodies,” Noah said in an ad for Aerie. “We’re all women and we should be proud of who we are.”

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Students throw lingerie at Bengaluru college, protest dress code

BENGALURU: When the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP) tried to impose a dress code on its girls students recently, they came up with a novel protest. Statues and sculptures on the campus were clothed in lingerie and bras dangled from trees, windows and street lamps, giving a shock to faculty members and visitors who walked into the campus.

The result: The principal explained that the circular was not a diktat and withdrew it.

The problem started when the college authorities put up a notice for the first year students asking girls “to dress with practicality and levels of respectability in mind, as our college is a place of learning and culture. Students are not permitted to wear provocative clothing and clothes with offensive lettering.”

According to a source, girls were instructed not to wear sleeveless tops and shorts as they were distracting and could make male students feel “uncomfortable”.

Opposing the rule, a girl student said a dress code was nothing but curtailing of her comfort. “I hope it is just a routine notice because as students of sculpture, it is not possible for us to work if our clothes are not comfortable. We stand, sit, bend and need to be free. It should be about comfort and personal choice.”

Boy students are standing by the girls in their protest. “Initially, we thought the college was infringing upon the students’ freedom, so we took up this creative and non-violent method of protest. However, the principal addressed all the students and assured us not to worry. The issue has subsided now,” a first year student said.

Chaya Chandrasekhar, an alumna of CKP, said, “When we were students, there was no question of wearing shorts and sleeveless tops to college, as that was a different age altogether. However, the times have changed and the college must keep up with the needs of this generation. Moreover, when it comes to art, students need a free environment to be creative and artistic, which includes the freedom to choose one’s clothes. I’m confident that the college will keep this in mind.”

CKP professors refused to comment on the issue, but a source said such notices are issued every year. “But this year, the institution had put up the circular on the notice board of the fresher’s class. It has been withdrawn now,” the source said,” Surya Harikrishnan.

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