This past week, H&M unveiled the video campaign for their Autumn 2016 collection, and overall, we’re pretty impressed. The ad features a diverse cast of models including supermodel Lauren Hutton, GURLS TALK founder Adwoa Aboah, co-founder and chief creative officer of graphic design firm Design Army Pum Lefebure, and singer Jillian Hervey. Hervey is part of the duo Lion Babe, who created the music for the video, a modern version of Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady.”
The video features a slew of other models in the video. One of the models, the first that we see in the campaign video, flaunts her killer curves in red lingerie. Another model rocks unshaven pits and tousled pastel hair while lounging on a hotel bed indulging in french fries. We see women man-spreading on the subway, ignoring female dining etiquette in an upscale restaurant, flexing their toned muscles in an elevator, and dorking out to cheesy karaoke, all while wearing the fabulously affordable clothes of H&M. Both the video and the song send the message that there isn’t one type of woman and that every woman out there should see herself as beautiful, strong, and intelligent. And while we are happy that H&M has created a video that will hopefully inspire millions of girls to love their bodies unconditionally and pursue their dreams, the brand still has a ways to go before they can be considered 100% body inclusive.
Last month, the Swedish retailer announced their autumn/winter Studio Collection lookbook, featuring the beautifully body-positive Ashley Graham to model the line. Fans of Graham were thrilled to see the model in advertisements for the fashion brand, especially after she walked for the retailer at Paris Fashion Week this past March. One of the positive things about this advertisement was that Graham was modeling as a plus-sized model for their mainstream campaign, however, controversy arose when fans learned that despite Graham advocating for “more options for curvy women” in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the plus-sized line will not be available in stores. Most H&M stores do not have plus sizes in stock, which makes it a lot more difficult for many customers to access the clothing line. Despite creating a video advertisement and photo campaign that displays female diversity, it seems as if H&M is still missing the mark because they haven’t made their trendy styles accessible to all body types.
Photo via Instagram
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