H&M Shows More Body Diversity In Ads And People Are Freaking Out
Swimwear used to be exclusively shown by very slender women. Now, H&M decided to show more body diversity - and people are freaking out
Back in 2019, H&M announced their new swimwear collection by posting a picture of a woman wearing a bikini on their Instagram account. So far, that's nothing out of the ordinary, right? However, there was something very special about it. It is disquieting that this is still something we need to point out, but the model in the picture does not have the measurements we're used to seeing on advertisements by H&M and the like. What's even better about the ad? H&M didn't say a word about the model's body. They didn't label their post as body positive - they just let it sit there. People loved it. Body diversity is something we're still desperately looking for in the general advertising landscape, but it seems like H&M no longer wants to represent one type of female body only.
What is a "normal" body anyway?
According to YouGov, the average dress size of women in the UK is 16. We don't need to emphasize that most fashion brands don't display models wearing this size.
Not just their swimwear models, but also models wearing their lingerie and everyday clothes no longer have one body type only. This Instagram post shows model @emmabreschi in a relaxed ensemble of dreamy grey underwear. The influencer has more than 50k followers on her Instagram and knows how to show her curves - what a beauty!
People online seem to celebrate H&M for their decision to include different body types in their ads:
Though the majority of H&M's Instagram feed still displays rather slim models, women with different body types have become a permanent feature on their IG grid.
H&M's followers are mostly overjoyed about this development! @beatzzz_12 commented "Curves! Thank you!" below one of their posts. And there's more:
"Love this model!" (@yvonnechang57)
"Real women with beuatiful, real bodies that inspire us 💚💚💚 At last !! 👏" (@mountaingirl_fr)
"She's so beautiful 😍" (@principessa97_)
While there's still so much to do when it comes to body diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry, this is one step that makes us hopeful for the future. The message these images convey is that women are perfect the way they are and can enjoy fashion exactly the way they are, without having to lose weight.
