ASOS's Steps Towards Promoting Body Positivity
ASOS, the British online store for fashion and beauty, is changing the narrative one bikini at a time. From no longer airbrushing swimwear models to featuring new plus-size bikini models, ASOS practices what they preach – using their “influence among young fashion-lovers for good,” and inspiring their “customers to feel confident, express themselves and achieve amazing things.”
On June 23, 2017 the company began featuring swimwear models with clearly visible stretch marks on their website. In going against the industry standard of highly photoshopped models, ASOS received high praise from shoppers and established themselves as a truly body-positive retailer.
On March 21 of this year, ASOS announced that they would begin to feature the same pieces, but on models of different sizes. As a brand that already sells over 30 different sizes for almost every piece of clothing, and all for the same price, this feature is groundbreaking for women who demand pieces that will better fit their bodies before purchase. Between the previous virtual runway feature, which films models wearing any given garment from different angles, and their new featuring of plus-sized models, not only will ASOS reduce the amount of clothing returns they receive, but also positively influence the way women see their own bodies.
Customers who are not usually represented are already inspired, as seen when ASOS announced the feature on their Twitter, one replied “This is super helpful! Definitely have had to return stuff as I just didn't realise it would look so different on somebody with my body shape! So pleased to see all beautiful shapes and sizes represented.” So far, this feature is only available with select women’s items on the site, but it will soon be extended to their app.
On March 29, ASOS again received huge support from shoppers when it featured Vivian Eyo-Ephraim, their first dark-skinned plus-sized bikini model in their new ASOS Curve range. ASOS customers flooded Eyo-Ephraim’s Twitter with support, with one fan tweeting “I’ve never, ever seen an ad like this before. I’ve never worn a bikini before because of my body type. This makes me think about trying it. Pretty cool.” Although ASOS has long featured plus-size bikini models on their website, by including a model of color, ASOS further widens and improves their scope of representation.
Although they are not the first retailer to promote body positivity, Aerie has featured diverse, airbrush-free models for years, ASOS is one of the largest brands to do so. And their inclusivity is paying off, as according to the Financial Times, on April 11, it was reported that their sales have risen 27% over the last six month period. With this positive feedback, hopefully ASOS and other popular brands will either begin or continue to promote diversity and inclusivity in their sizes and models, positively influencing women and shoppers around the world.