Fashion
American Eagle's #Aerieman Campaign Was Super Awkward April Fool's Joke
But the brand is serious about not retouching its half-naked male models.
April 01 2016 10:10 AM EST
April 01 2016 10:22 AM EST
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But the brand is serious about not retouching its half-naked male models.
We knew something was a bit off with those American Eagle #Aerieman videos--something, namely Devon's bouncing canni-bulge:
Well, turns out the campaign and those weird videos were all just one, awkward April Fool's joke.
According to a press release:
American Eagle Outfitters proves once again they're not afraid to take a risk and have a laugh in support of a good cause. Following the successes of the Skinny Skinny Jean in 2013 and American Beagle Outfitters in 2014, the brand reveals today its #AerieMAN campaign, featuring a mix of quirky characters of different sizes and personalities sharing "real life" stories in their skivvies, was all in good fun to parody the #AerieReal campaign by Aerie, a leader in body-positive marketing.
Ugh, April 1 is the worst. But anyway, American Eagle balanced their skivvy schtick with a $25,000 donation to the National Eating Disorders Association, as well as a commitment to forego retouching its male models in the brand's underwear and swimwear images, beginning this holiday season.
"We aren't afraid of being bold in how we engage our customers, whether through a video that makes you think twice, or challenging the norm in how a brand markets to men," American Eagle's global brand president Chad Kessler said in the release. "We are an all-inclusive brand and we know our male customers respond to humor. We look forward to continuing to innovate and evolve the American Eagle Outfitters product offerings."
Well, good for you American Eagle, but who's going to make amends for this?