Marketing Body Positivity

Among the fashion and beauty industries, body positivity has soared within the past few years. Actually, is has become a movement in itself. So, what is the body positivity movement? The body positivity movement is a movement that, “encourages people to adapt more forgiving and affirming attitudes towards their bodies, with the goal of improving overall health and well-being” (Wikipedia).

In the past, body positivity has not always been a highlight within the modeling industry. For example, when you look at Barbies, being thin and perfect is what was highlighted in the marketing industry. But now, there are Barbies being made that have curves. A company that supports and encourages body positivity and confidence within women is Aerie. I use this as my prime example because Aerie has launched an entire #aeriereal campaign that focuses on the natural beauty of women. Aerie does not Photoshop women and they use women of all sizes in their advertising. Aerie uses effective marketing techniques on their target market of young women. They post a lot of pictures on Instagram of women of all sizes, which I would say is one of their most powerful tools. Aerie has used a hedonistic approach to marketing to its target market, and they have also used a memory route to persuasion by continuously posting pictures of women of all sizes and using the hash tag #aeriereal.

These approaches that Aerie uses can be used in all marketing when it comes to body positivity. This movement is seen everywhere in the modeling industry and it is so easy to market because so many women want to feel comfortable with their bodies. Body positivity has also been marketed through celebrities, and some key figures of this movement include Demi Lovato, Iskra Lawrence, and Ashley Graham.

“Don’t workout because you need to. Do it because your body deserves love, respect, and healthy attention.” –Demi Lovato

When marketing in this industry, it is important to understand that body positivity is not only for curvy women, but it includes skinny women as well. The point is to make all women feel natural and comfortable in their bodies as they are.

“What people don’t understand is that calling someone too skinny is the same as calling someone too fat.”- Kendall Jenner

It is important to keep an open-mind. This body positivity movement is not just used to market clothing to all women, but it’s used to inspire them as well. This whole movement started because people were marketing themselves. That’s why I love marketing and why I believe it is more than just trying to get customers to buy your product. You can use marketing to truly help people, which is why it is so key to understand your target audience. If you want to market about body positivity in the modeling industry, just stay positive. As marketers, we are part of something that’s bigger than all of us. Be passionate in your work!