Last week, plus-size lingerie company Lane Bryant revealed a new body positive campaign under the hashtag #ImNoAngel. A not-so-subtle jab at Victoria’s Secret? Definitely. But a much needed body-love revolution in the undergarment industry. A quick scroll through the company’s Instagram pagereveals posts by women of varying size, race, and age, all celebrated equally for their beautiful bodies, while proudly proclaiming they are not angels.
On their Instagram account, it’s not just the models making a statements. Well-known celebrities, such as Danielle Brooks (made famous by her role as Taystee on Orange is the New Black,) and Amber P. Riley, who played Mercedes Jones on Glee. Having these women, along with many others, be a source of inspiration and representation for both plus-size and curvy women, and women of color, is tremendously important. The lingerie bizz has been attempting to embrace body positivity for a while now; Aerie’s unretouched ads debuted last winter, a campaign that’s been incredibly influential, especially coming from a major lingerie company. Still, Aerie doesn’t market to plus-size women exclusively, and while the ads remain unretouched, they still feature fairly thin and mostly white models.
That’s what makes Lane Bryant’s campaign even more significant; their focus is entirely on body sizes that the mainstream media either overlooks or blatantly shames. What’s more, they seem to be dedicated to shifting the focus to women of color– another underrepresented demographic in the media. The combination of the two make this campaign more empowering and inclusive than many other campaigns that have aimed to send a similar message.
It’s easy to follow this campaign, or even join in– just look for the hashtag, share any posts or pictures that inspire you, or even contribute to the movement by tagging a picture of yourself with #ImNoAngel. Lane Bryant and supporters encourage all body types to “redefine sexy” by challenging the mainstream media’s standards of beauty– that’s a movement worth being a part of.
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