The new trend is real beauty that won’t hide stretch marks or cellulite

When Marissa Vosper founded lingerie brand Negative Underwear in 2014, she and co-founder Lauren Schwab decided not to modify the female body. Advertising materials.

For Vosper, the decision was a “no brainer,” fitting for a company that sells clear, wire-free, ultra-minimalist bras.there won’t be #Photoshopfailed like those viral ones Social network: Missing navel, extra arms, splayed thighs, distorting the background scene. The skin will have texture. There will be stretch marks on the body.

Overall, the approach seems to work. Negative Underwear’s first collection sold out in two weeks. But Vosper’s dedication to marketing realism had unintended consequences.A recent ad shows a closely cropped photo of a woman’s breasts wearing a negative-shaped bra, showing stretch marks Some consumers objected, not because stretch marks appeared in the ads, but because they looked too pretty and uniform. Vosper remembers people posting things like this on social media: “Stretch marks can’t be this perfect.”

For more than a century, lingerie advertising has emphasized idealized versions of female image. In the 1910s and 1920s, shapewear ads featured hourglass silhouettes. In the 1940s, underwire bras were very popular.

In the 1970s, Rudy Gernreich He invented the thong, which caused popular outrage. In the 1980s and 1990s, Calvin Klein He learned to sell sex appeal the same way he sold cotton panties. In the early 1980s, people victoria’s secret reached its peak. The brand is based on an expectation of near-heavenly perfection.In the ad, their “angel” doesn’t seem to have a mole, and cellulitis This is a civilian matter.

Over the past decade, however, as Victoria’s Secret has been mired in a series of scandals, new lingerie brands have begun focusing on alleged flaws: stretch marks in particular.In the underwear industry, this “defect”What was once censored is now becoming an industry standard, as neckline.

Several lingerie brands, including Negative and Cuup, have chosen styles with stretch marks. Some large stores have also followed suit. Stretch marks (often seen on thin models) appear in product photos from the likes of ASOS, Boohoo, Missguided and Target.Some are exaggerating: A month before Negative hit the market, Aerie promised Stop retouching underwear ads.

When Everlane started selling lingerie in 2018, its slogan was “no frills, no bows, no gimmicks.” Underwear startup Parade has built its reputation in part on crude product images. In August, it was acquired by Ariela & Associates, the licensor of lingerie giant Fruit of the Loom.

Conventional wisdom moves quickly, but change behind the scenes is slower.when Keira O’Connell When she founded her own lingerie brand (formerly Knickey, recently renamed Subset) in 2017, she saw a common thread among the competition: the most commercial lingerie brands were helmed by men. She wanted to offer a different perspective.

“As a woman, I want to be involved in consuming things that interest me,” O’Connell said. “And my reality is, I have stretch marks and I’m not a size zero.” From the beginning, she was determined: “We accept cellulitis.we accept eczema.We accept brands and tattoobody modification and Bodies with different abilities. “

O’Connell believes Subset is committed to demonstrating electronicsVarious models (Maximum size is 4XL) Different from the strategy of large companies. He said the brands “strategically insert themselves into the zeitgeist” by occasionally launching ad campaigns featuring models with stretch marks and other blemishes.

O’Connell considers this tactic to be disingenuous. “This is a direct result of some of these companies’ response to the pandemic concretize, sexualization and infantilization The number of women in media and marketing,” she said.

Negative Underwear’s stretch mark sleuths show that even consumers who choose to buy independent brand clothing retain some underlying skepticism. Is imperfection becoming a trend progress?

Use negative statements Post-production technology Among its product photos are color corrections to fabrics and wrinkle reduction, but Vosper assures the brand remains true to its vision. ‘We’re not going to change women’s bodies’he explained. “We’re not going to slim down your waist. “We’re not going to get rid of your cellulite. ” Skeptics take note: Stretch marks are real.

Like O’Connell, Vosper sees how stretch marks can become an entry-level blemish, an imperfect choice for established companies that want to at least acknowledge inclusivity.Even Victoria’s Secret has tried it, albeit hesitantly: In 2016, ahead of its annual show, the company released photos of models Molly Tookes Wearing a $3 million bra with stretch marks on it. But when Tookes took part in live performances, she wore a beaded one-piece on air that covered her upper thighs and stretch marks.

Faron Karim KhanTraditional brands view stretch marks as a “less risky” way to engage in conversations about stretch marks, according to an advertising professor at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. body positivity. Companies like Victoria’s Secret are “more conservative in joining this new trend,” he said.

“I think for them, stretch marks might be considered a safe starting point,” Karim Khan said. “After all, even thin and beautiful women like models have them.”

The success of the most talked about brands positive About the body, Karim Khan said. “But more traditional brands rooted in aspirational images are struggling to find their own identity when these appear new trend“.

Karim Khan said stretch marks have become a low-risk entry point that is not only low-risk but relatively cheap compared to the process of creating and photographing specimens of multiple sizes for display. Diverse institutions.

The Ledger tells the story: Stretch marks were defended in part because it didn’t cost a penny more to have a model with them on set.

O’Connell compares stretch marks to freckle. These also used to be removed from traditional advertising, but now Sephora and other retailers sell colored pencils to help those without freckles mimic the look. So far, stretch marks haven’t been sold a la carte, but O’Connell thinks it’s possible.

Could this be a sign of enlightenment? She’s not so sure, at least not while other glaring flaws in brand advertising continue to be ironed out. For now, he says he still needs to reiterate to his photo editor after the meeting: “No embellishments.”

“We actually get comments from both customers and followers on social,” Vosper said. “Some people think it’s never enough, while others think it’s too much, and “Everyone has an opinion when it comes to women’s bodies.”

For more than a century, lingerie advertising has emphasized idealized images of women. But over the past decade, new lingerie brands have focused on so-called “underwear.” defectEspecially stretch marks.

(c) New York Times 2023