Aerie's latest lingerie campaign features models with disabilities, chronic illnesses

From Teen Vogue:

Lingerie brand Aerie quietly released a new images on its website this week that feature women with a range disabilities and medical conditions modeling various styles. The images captured women with arm crutches, type 1 diabetes, vitiligo, and more, wearing everything from the brand's signature bralettes to matching workout apparel. 

Aerie, owned by American Eagle, has gradually revealed images from the campaign, displaying on the site's product pages. They are also being shared widely on social media by fans and the models themselves. One of the campaign's models, Abby Sams, shared her excitement about being included, tweeting, "Aerie just sneakily released some of my photos! Look at this disability representation people!!! Also look at me because I cant believe it's actually me so yeah." Abby also tweeted images of three other models and included the caption, "A cancer survivor, down syndrome paralympian, me, and fibromyalgia (+ body hair). Their work in chronic illness and disability representation this campaign was REAL and AMAZING." 

Other social media users also chimed in with their excitement over Aerie's campaign. One Twitter user tweeted, "OH MY GOD!!! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE EVER SEEN MYSELF REPRESENTED IN A MODEL!!!!" Another tweeted, "Absolutely amazing! The confidence of these ladies leaks out of the screen! Fantastic photos, beautifully taken showing ladies being their true selves 💗" 

This is not the first time Aerie has received praise for its efforts to diversify and represent women of all different backgrounds. The brand's website features models of various different body types and racial backgrounds, and with the help of their social media hashtag, #AerieREAL, their social media accounts also reflect this inclusivity. As recently as last year, the brand teamed up with All Woman Project for a diverse campaign that released un-retouched images of their models to celebrate natural beauty and promote women's empowerment.