Why women are loving this Lane Bryant ad featuring a model with stretch marks
FOR years women have become used to seeing ads starring perfect, airbrushed models with zero imperfections. Now that’s starting to change.
AMERICAN retailer Lane Bryant has drawn praise for featuring a model with stretch marks in a new ad campaign.
Model Denise Bidot wears a navy bikini from the brand’s Escape Collection and proudly shows off the stretch marks on her stomach. Bidot is a US size 14, or an Australian size 18.
“Loving this new image and how real it is. Thank you @lanebryant for loving my body, stretch marks and all,” Bidot wrote on Instagram.
Hundreds of women commented on the photo — both on Facebook and Instagram — praising the brand for not airbrushing the image.
“Beautiful!!! Thank you for showing a real body!!! So excited I’m crying a little!” wrote one woman.
“Got so excited seeing stretch marks! Might be weird but our imperfections and life experiences is what makes us beautiful!” another wrote.
Others said seeing a “real” woman’s body with no editing made them more inclined to buy the products in the ad. “Makes me want to buy this suit asap!!” one woman wrote.
Lane Bryant, which stocks US sizes 14-32, is famous for its body-positive advertisements featuring models such as Ashley Graham.
Both models and clothing brands are starting to include more images of stretch marks on social media and in ad campaigns.
Last month Victoria’s Secret released images of model Jasmine Tookes posing in the brand’s famous Fantasy Bra, and chose not to edit out stretchmarks on her upper thigh.
The decision was seen as a win for a brand which has long been criticised for failing to offer body diversity its in annual runway show.
Australian model Robyn Lawley, who says she is an Australian size 14-16, often posts photos of her stretch marks on Instagram.
Since giving birth to her daughter Ripley last February, Lawley has spoken about the pressure on mothers for their bodies to “bounce back” after having children.
“We put an unbelievable amount of ridiculous time consuming pressure on women to care so much about their flaws they forget how truly beautiful they (you) are today,” Lawley wrote on Facebook last year.
“F**k them, who cares, be you, be loud, be proud. And put your efforts into skills that rely more on your physical self. And to anyone who feels bad about your body especially after a baby, you are a warrior, you created a life inside of you, that’s no easy feat.”
