CLICK TO VIEW MADDY'S BLOG!

Gabourey Sidibe & Others Featured in Lane Bryant’s Latest Campaign

gabourey sidibe

Plus size fashion retailer Lane Bryant has become known for its campaigns geared towards promoting diversity in fashion and inspiring women to feel empowered in the bodies they are in.

The retailer just launched an extension of its #ThisBody campaign for Fall called #ThisBody Is Made to Shine.

According to the official press release, the new campaign was created to “support and encourage women facing and overcoming negativity in their daily lives, as well as shining a light on the negatives and positives of social media, demonstrating how women rise above it all to live their best lives“.

What we love about this new campaign is that actress Gabourey Sidibe is one of the faces. It’s Sidibe’s first fashion campaign and we are so overjoyed to see the visibly plus actress included in a major campaign because so many women can identify with her and see themselves represented.

When asked what it means to her to be one of the faces of an inclusive fashion movement, Sidibe told People Magazine:

“It’s lovely. I’m very proud to take part in something I’ve fallen victim, too. Plenty of times, I haven’t been able to wear certain clothes because they didn’t come in my size. It’s nice to be on the right side of the inclusion conversation.

Sidibe also spoke with Refinery29 on how it felt to be in her first fashion campaign:

“I’m being very particular as far as fashion campaigns. Should I be telling other people what to wear? Probably not. But I liked the idea of this campaign, and that it’s all about bridging the gap between [plus and straight] sizes. I just think that’s really important. I remember how wide the gap felt to me when I was a teenager. I felt like I was in a position to do something to help that.”

 

Other faces of the latest #ThisBody campaign include plus models Ashley Graham, Candice Huffine and Alessandra Garcia (actor Andy Garcia’s daughter) as well as actress Danielle Brooks. Garcia was recently seen as one of the faces in the latest Christian Siriano collection for Lane Bryant and Brooks was the face of Siriano’s first collection with the retailer.

Brian Beitler, Lane Bryant CMO said in an official statement:

“With the steady rise of social media also comes the scrutiny women face on a daily basis-both in a positive and negative light. #ThisBody Is Made to Shine aims to strip away the adversity experienced and show all women that it is possible to continue to shine despite what anyone has to say. The women in this campaign shut down their naysayers and do what’s right for them. They thrive on proving others and even themselves wrong. We are hopeful it will help women flip the script and silence the shaming while challenging the societal norms and encouraging everyone to rise above.”

The campaign was shot by famed photographer Cass Bird and the images are stunning.

alessandra-1

candice-1

danielle-1

 

Sidibe knows all too well how it feels to be ignored in the fashion industry and we love that she is using this opportunity to let plus size retailers know that it’s important to see ALL of us:

“When you see commercials or billboards and there are only a few different sizes, and none of them are yours, you feel really alone in the world. You feel like you are a misfit; a weirdo. It’s really, really important to be able to see yourself. If you can’t see yourself, sometimes you don’t know that you’re alive, you don’t know that you exist, and you don’t know that you’re normal. And it seems like Lane Bryant is taking a major, major step toward making sure that more people of different sizes can see that they exist. More than just in their own mirror, which is very important.” (Refinery 29)

The campaign will roll out across Lane Bryant’s stores and social media channels, as well as on billboards, cinema, magazines and partnerships with Refinery 29 and Glamour Magazine.

Find out more at www.lanebryant.com and be a part of the conversation with the hashtag #ThisBody Is Made to Shine on social media.

What do you think of the new Lane Bryant campaign? Are you happy to see Gabourey Sidibe included? Comment below and let us know!

Images: Lane Bryant/Cass Bird