One woman is challenging Lane Bryant to expand their body diversity campaign even more
So you may have seen the #ImNoAngel hashtag floating around the social media sphere as of late, plus-size retailer Lane Bryant’s response to Victoria’s Secret angels. However, body positive blogger Amanda Richards was disappointed to find that the Lane Bryant models posing for the #ImNoAngel campaign appeared to be size 12-14, when Lane Bryant makes clothing in sizes 14-28.
As Richards puts it on her blog, “I don’t understand why Lane Bryant can’t opt for more diversity in their advertising, given that it’s what plus-size women want and what they have been quite literally begging for on social media.”
That’s why Richards launched the #ImNoModel social media campaign, posting pictures of herself in her underthings, and encouraging other non-model-type women who are so inclined to do the same.
Richards acknowledges in her blog that she is “white, young, able-bodied, cis-gendered, and fit most of society’s ‘acceptable’ beauty standards,” but she also believes that her lingerie shots are a worthy way to start the #ImNoModelEither campaign.
“I’m not posting these to claim that I am some true representation of diversity or have a remarkable appearance that is totally ignored by mainstream media – as I mentioned before, my stats are really quite pedestrian,” she explains on her blog. “No, I’m posting these to point out the fact that because of the TYPE of fat body I have, Lane Bryant would never, ever use a body like mine in a campaign. All things considered, I think that means they’ve still got a lot to learn. Luckily, your voices and criticisms as consumers will be the ones to teach them. Don’t be afraid to keep pushing, questioning, and calling shit out. That’s how we’re going to really do this thing.”
Richards launched the hashtag about a week ago, and she has been blown away by the response.
“The diversity in body types has been pretty surprising, coupled with the fact that most of the women who have shared have a story about what brought them to body positivity and self-acceptance,” she told Bustle. “It was really awe-inspiring to realize that most women navigate a tremendously long and complex journey when it comes to their bodies — especially because it feels so lonely sometimes. The truth is no matter what the story, someone can relate to it.”
