We went to Aerie and saw why it’s NOT body positive

Body positivity is an avenue for women and men to appreciate their bodies no matter what.

For a long time, fashion brands happily ignored body positivity and the plus-size community. But times are changing, and brands like Aerie — the lounge wear offshoot of American Eagle —  are spending big to earn a reputation of "inclusivity." 

With a portfolio of unretouched ads and a cast of curvy models that includes Barbie Ferreira and Iskra Lawrence, Aerie is seen as the anti-Victoria's Secret.

"We celebrate body positivity and embrace a more realistic image of girls and women in our marketing and our product," Aerie president Jennifer Foyle told Brand Channel.

But is Aerie really body positive?

My coworker Nicola and I went to Aerie to try and shop. Sizes in the store range from XXS (00) to 2X (18).

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47400.png
Revelist/Marianne Espinosa

Nicola wears a 1X or 14/16, and I'm a 2X to 3X or 18 to 22, depending on the brand. 

I'm on the verge of being able to shop at Aerie, but given that many of its items are loungewear with plenty of stretch, I hoped I'd find something.

The fact that I have to "hope" is strike number one for Aerie. For a brand that wants to be inclusive, its size chart is a joke (except I'm not laughing).

Here we are at our local Aerie in New York City on a hot summer day.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47401.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

This beautiful bralette fruit stand was the first thing we saw as we walked in.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47402.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

I was actually really excited to shop for a cute bralette.

Nicola and I went through every rack we could find in search of a 2X.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47405.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

After we realized there weren't any 2Xs in the store, I decided to try on the 1X.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47406.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Bad idea, I know. 

I was pissed that a so-called body-positive brand didn't even carry my size. 

Last year, Aerie sales spiked 20% (in comparison to the parent AE brand sales) as a result of its savvy marketing moves and buzzy #AerieREAL campaign. 

It's making bank off body positivity.

We started with bralettes, and I already knew this was going to be a rough ride for me.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47410.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Happy rockin' unlined bra ($10, Aerie)

Nicola is a frequent Aerie shopper. She enjoyed every second of this — because she has the kind of body that Aerie is comfortable with.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47422.jpg
Revelist/Nicola Dall'assen

"This was one of Aerie's bralette styles that I had never tried before, and I fell in love with it the second I slipped it on. It held everything exactly where it should be, it was comfortable, it was cute, the color complemented my skin tone. I have literally no complaints," said Nicola.

I was able to get the 1X bralette on, and for a second, I thought it might work for me.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47424.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Two seconds after I got it on, I realized it was giving me four boobs and pinching my back so hard that it was cutting off my circulation.

The second look we tried was a basic shift black dress.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47427.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Open back tank dress ($20, Aerie)

Nicola usually has trouble finding a shift dress at a straight size store.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47430.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

"Along with the bralette, I didn't even give a second thought to buying this dress. Shift dresses like this aren't usually an option for me in straight size stores — the largest size is either too tight for a shift dress or doesn't cover my butt. This one, however, was absolutely perfect for me. I adore the small opening in the back, which gives you a little peek of the cute bralette," said Nicola.

I was actually pleasantly surprised to be able to fit into this dress, although, it was more of a bodycon dress on me.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47431.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

As I looked in the mirror, I could hear a voice in my head whisper, "Just 'cause it zips doesn't mean it fits."

Next up was this bell sleeve sweater.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47434.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Ruffle sleeve sweatshirt ($ 28, Aerie)

"When I saw Jess picking this sweater off the rack, I had my doubts — this style of sleeve rarely looks good on me. But then I put it on and immediately realized I was wrong. I wasn't a fan of the color, but the sweater itself was SOFT AF without being too heavy. It's also roomy enough to throw over a swimsuit. But to be honest, given the size of this sweatshirt, I expected it to be much bigger," said Nicola.

Trying on the sweatshirt only enhanced my quadruple boobs.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47437.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Even though I was able to move my arms normally, the fit was far from good. I asked the sales associate if there were any 2Xs in the store and she assured me that 1X was as high as they went.

It was finally time to try on some bottoms. We opted for the stretchiest item we could find.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47438.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

It didn't matter how much I tugged the cord on the drawstring waist, those shorts were not going up.

Nicola had better luck, but the shorts exposed her ladybits more than she preferred.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47439.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Last up was swimwear. Nicola chose a suit modeled by Iskra Lawrence in Aerie's summer campaign.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47441.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Piping one-piece swimsuit ($33, Aerie)

"Shout-out to Aerie's sales associates for being so supportive and kind to me while trying on swimwear. I received a hell of a lot of compliments when I stepped out of the dressing room, but I was not feeling this suit AT ALL. Unlike the way it looks on Iskra Lawrence in the promotional imagery, it became very transparent on me — especially around the breast padding. The way the suit fits doesn't support my breasts at all, and instead, they're forced to lay flat against my body. All in all, it's just not a cute look for me," said Nicola.

Swimsuits were out of the question for me because of sizing, but I found these cool sunglasses.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47445.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Win?!

By the end of our adventure, Nicola had pretty much gotten half of her summer wardrobe, while I waited for her by the accessories.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47446.jpg
Revelist/Jessica Torres

It was like high school all over again.

It's clear that Aerie is not as body positive as it claims to be.

img-of-media-slide-rv-8124-47447.jpg
Revelist/Brittany Fowler

Shopping here didn't make me feel confident — it made me feel left out and ignored. 

Aerie's commitment to unretouched ads and and body-diverse models deserves all the praise in the world, but if those ads don't translate to an inclusive shopping experience for consumers, what is it all for? PR and marketing, that's what.

Dear Aerie: Body positivity is not a marketing strategy to help your bottom line.

Do better.