87% of women have admitted to comparing themselves to the models they see on social media, with 50% saying they have compared their bodies unfavourably to the people they see (King University Online, 2019). This problem is continuing to grow with it now being almost impossible to escape it, as social media is now part of our everyday lives.
Along with this, women are still experiencing problems with being treated as equals, whether this is in the workplace or part of day-to-day life, with 81% of women admitting to have experienced sexism in the workplace (Bean, 2015).
A study shows that there is a clear link between sexism and young women’s mental health problems, with women who experience sexism being five times more likely to suffer from clinical depression (Young Women’s Trust, 2019). So, what is being done about this?
Recently we have seen an increase in the amount of people trying to change this, with fashion brands being a big part, whether they have been promoting body positivity or helping to empower all women. Many brands have been developing campaigns that help to promote this, whether it is clothing or cosmetic brands, they are all trying to help women embrace themselves.
Missguided is a UK brand known for trying to inspire a new generation of unstoppable females, to be themselves and achieve whatever they want (Missguided, 2021). They have had a wide range of campaigns over the years trying to promote this further. One of their most recent campaigns was called “However You Nude” (Missguided, 2020). For this campaign, Missguided partnered with Models of Diversity to promote equality, body confidence and sex positivity to their customers (Missguided, 2020). One of the main aims was to redefine what the word nude stands for, as they wrote in their blog: “The colour ‘nude’ has meant one shade for far too long, when in reality our skin is not” (Grady, 2020).
The collection had 2500 applicants apply to be featured in the campaign, out of which 7 were chosen to model alongside other inspirational people (Jahshan, 2020). This campaign celebrated women with disabilities, hijabi women as well as trans women and non-binary people, which is something many companies are yet to do (Jahshan, 2020). This shows that they are helping the movement to empower all women to love themselves and feel empowered, by showing that everyone is equal.
Missguided have also allowed customers an insight into each of the models via their blog, Babezine, allowing each of their individual stories to be shared, giving customers the opportunity to relate to the models and their stories (Grady, 2019).
The response to this campaign has been very positive, with Angel Sinclair, the Founder of Models of Diversity, saying that: “Many brands talk about change, however few follow through! Missguided absolutely blew us away with their commitment to inclusion and diversity in this campaign” (Missguided, 2020)
However, while this campaign has been successful, Missguided has previously been under fire for some of their other campaigns. After the TV show, ‘Inside Missguided: Made in Manchester’, aired, Missguided received a lot of criticism. People believe that Missguided are only using the word ‘empowerment’ as a cash grab, as they are just using it as a way to persuade women to spend money (Baker, 2020).
Furthermore, this is only the start of the problem, as Missguided have also come under fire for having a 46% median average pay gap in favour of men, despite having a workforce of around 78% women (Baker, 2020). This is a huge problem because they are not following through with the things that they are promoting. It has been criticised for believing that empowerment is just showing a size 20 model in some branded underwear (Baker, 2020), however have Missguided done enough since then to prove the critics wrong?
More and more companies are starting to see the importance of promoting female empowerment and body positivity, as it becomes a bigger problem with the growth in social media. Although, some companies are facing a back lash for having bad intentions when it comes to promoting female empowerment, are they doing enough to help women feel confident again or is there still more to be done?
References
- Baker. E (2020), Inside Missguided: Made in Manchester proves fast fashion’s dedication to ‘empowerment’ is just a cash grab. Available at: https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/inside-missguided-documentary-channel-4-female-empowerment-body-positivity-578708 (Accessed date: 26th April 2021)
- Bean. S (2015), 81 percent of women and over half of men experience sexism at work. Available at: https://workplaceinsight.net/over-three-quarters-of-women-and-more-than-half-of-men-experience-sexism-at-work/ (Accessed date: 4th May 2021)
- Grady. L (2020), Missguided: Nudes, Babezine at Missguided. Available at: https://www.missguided.co.uk/babezine/our-world/nudes-campaign (Accessed date: 26th April)
- Henry. G (2020), Inside Missguided review: Female empowerment, fun, fashion and “disruption” take centre-stage. Available at: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/inside-missguided-review-channel-4/ (Accessed date: 26th April 2021)
- Jahshan. E (2020), Retail Gazette Loves: Missguided’s new “However You Nude” empowerment campaign. Available at: https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2020/10/missguided-however-you-nude-empowerment-body-diversity-positive-inclusive/ (Accessed date: 26th April)
- King University Online (2019), The Link Between Social Media and Body Image. Available at: https://online.king.edu/news/social-media-and-body-image/ (Accessed date: 26th March 2021)
- Missguided (2021), About Missguided. Available at: https://www.missguided.co.uk/about (Accessed date: 26th April 2021)
- Missguided (2020), Missguided Nudes. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv2CfRK82hk&t=5s (Accessed date: 4th April 2021)
- Missguided (2020), Missguided Partners with Charity for “However You Nude” Campaign, Cision PR Newswire. Available at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/missguided-partners-with-charity-for-however-you-nude-campaign-301150992.html (Accessed date: 26th April)
- Pinterest, The Future is Female. Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/359302876517992787/(Accessed date: 26th March 2021)
- Pinterest (2021), Women Empowerment. Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/163255555230439851/ (Accessed date: 4th April 2021)
- Shearsmith. T (2020), Missguided launched new “However You Nude” empowerment campaign. Available at: https://www.theindustry.fashion/missguided-launches-new-however-you-nude-empowerment-campaign/ (Accessed date: 26th April 2021)
- Young Women’s Trust (2019), Impact of sexism on young women’s mental health. Available at: https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/our-research/impact-sexism-young-womens-mental-health/(Accessed date: 4th May 2021)