Missguided's New Campaign Stars Women of All Sizes, and None of It's Retouched
We’re coming up on the end of 2017, and as we’re counting up the year’s wins and losses, one major silver lining is how much more inclusive advertising has become. Coming from brands like Wildfox, Nike, and a slew of other labels, now more than ever, we’re seeing ads that accurately reflect how all people look. The shift is coming through in small ways, too—Asos stopped Photoshopping out its models’ stretch marks, and last month people noticed that Missguided had followed suit. Now the brand is taking it a step further, with a campaign that’s one of the best things we’ve seen all year.
While there’s always a case for championing representation and calling attention to the change, Missguided didn’t create a lot of fanfare around its un-retouched e-commerce models. According to the brand, that was intentional: speaking to the brand’s no-airbrushing policy, its creative manager, Samantha Helligso, told The Daily Mail, “We’re on a mission to show our audience it’s okay to be yourself, embrace your ‘flaws,’ celebrate individuality, and not strive for what the world perceives as perfection. Because basically, it doesn’t exist. By showing imagery that’s real and authentic, we want to show it’s more than okay to be yourself. All you have is what you’ve got, so own it every day.”
Missguided’s policy was met with an outpouring of support on social media, with just one main criticism: by and large, the models on its website were still lacking in size diversity. Now, Missguided’s new #MakeYourMark campaign is here, and it looks like the brand was listening to the feedback. Starring eight women of all sizes, skin tones, and styles, scrolling through the campaign page just makes you feel good. The models look genuinely happy, and above all, real. Interspersed throughout the spread, quotes from the models explain why the campaign is important to them. The bottom line? “My favorite part of my body is genuinely my stretch marks, after years of hating them,” the quote reads. “Now I can actually see the beauty.”
Check out the campaign, below, along with more images on its site:
PHOTO: Courtesy of brand
PHOTO: Courtesy of brand
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