#MakeYourMark

Missguided have recently released their latest campaign 'Make Your Mark', promoting body positivity and announcing they will no longer be retouching any of their models bodies. At first glance this is such a positive campaign, celebrating women’s bodies and rejecting idealised perfection. However, once I looked into the campaign a little deeper I realised that Missguided had tried to reinforce this message by using different models than they normally would choose. 

As a fast fashion brand aimed at young women, Missguided tend to opt for the more mainstream models. Young, blonde, brunette, tall and slim, reflecting the idealised expectations of women. However for their new campaign instead of using their normal models there had been a change in casting. Larger ‘plus size’ models had been used instead. Using older, larger women and different race models, Missguided had really made an effort to point out they were stretching their view of beauty to include everyone. This would then lead their company to be seen as a positive force, promoting body positivity. 

I understand where this idea comes from as from the outside they are seen as a more inclusive brand. However with more and more brands doing things like this to stretch their inclusivity, it is hard not to question whether or not they are being done for the right reasons. 

I really hope the Missguided have done this because they are inclusive of all types of women and not for publicity. It’s definitely refreshing to see a wider spectrum of beauty being used by brands and I hope this continues to grow.