Our new favorite swimwear campaign is coming from a potentially unexpected source: Target. The retailer’s new swimwear campaign is unretouched and features four women of different sizes and races chilling in cute and colorful swimwear. You can see stretch marks and cellulite, because most women have stretch marks and cellulite and there’s no reason to hide them.
The photos were first released a few weeks ago but are making headlines now. It’s refreshing to see this campaign presented with so little fanfare by such a giant retailer.
In a statement, Target spokesperson Jessica Carlson said:
‘Target is committed to empowering women to feel confident in what they wear by offering a variety of style choices. We loved working with these women because they embody confidence and inspire [others] to embrace and be proud of who they are, regardless of their size or shape. It was important to us to use photography that represented their true beauty, without filters.’
One of the women featured is plus-size model Denise Bidot (top photo), who previously made headlines for showing her stretch marks in a Lane Bryant campaign. At the time, she said:
“For so long society has pushed us into a corner were we couldn’t be real. We had to be Photoshopped and airbrushed to be liked and thought of as sexy. But I think we are beyond that, and we need to start encouraging women to love who they are — imperfections and all. It is amazing to see how our industry has changed. So many things that used to be not OK are now being embraced and loved equally.”
The other women featured are dancer Megan Batoon, professional skateboarder Lizzie Armanto, and TV host and model Kamie Crawford. More and more advertising campaigns are choosing to use minimal or no photoshop, and needless to say, we’re into it.
This post was originally published March 21, 2017
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