Body Positivity Unconventional Beauty is the New Black

We have all been a witness to it, the power of body positivity and unconventional beauty in advertising placements. Who could ever forget Savage X Fenty unapologetically coming through swinging and shaking the table, showcasing a plus size male in his boxers. Plus size men around the world felt the much deserved love that day and knew that “they had next!” From Fenty to Olay, consumers are finally being influenced by perfectly imperfect content they can relate to.   

Dove is no stranger to this new phenomena, in fact, they were one of the first brands to begin showing everyday women of all shapes and sizes, in their underwear, through their Real Beauty campaign. This campaign was launched in 2004 and has been celebrating all types of women of various backgrounds ever since. In February of this year, Dove sought to further their reach by speaking to teen girls and address any body image issues they might have. As part of the Dove Self Esteem project, this campaign, titled “Girls Room,” was done through a five-episode series and featured teenage girls examining their appearance in various restrooms.  

Now, how could we ever forget H&M! The used to be poster child of “what not to do when launching a bikini campaign.” In 2011 the brand was caught using body doubles in their bikini ads. The reasoning given for this mishap, fashion models and swimsuit models have different body types and this type of switcheroo is common in the industry. Then, there was the Beyonce bikini debacle in 2013, where H&M was accused of removing some of Beyonce’s famous curves in photoshopped images. This didn’t go over too well with the icon or her fanbase and the original unaltered photos were used in the campaign. Fast forward to 2018, and H&M is now being praised for not only showing models scars and blemishes, but they’ve decided to include their models stretch marks and body hair. Well done!

Taking it a step further, and diving into cosmetics, skin care brands such as Olay, vowed to no longer retouch the complexion of the models they use. This is shift is due to men and women alike, wanting to see more attainable images of beauty within the skincare and cosmetics industry that aren’t digitally altered. Additionally, Urban Decay and Gucci have begun to offer a glimpse of beauty through a progressive lens by showing models with missing teeth.      

This body positive and unconventional beauty movement has placed it’s mark on the industry and it’s here to stay. Calling all brands to get in board!

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