“I don’t recognize my own fucking body anymore.”
Writer/actor Lena Dunham wrote that statement in her newsletter, Lenny, back in March of this year, where she publicly stated that she would no longer allow magazines to alter and manipulate her photos. Lonely Hearts took notice, and with the help of Girls co-star Jemima Kirke, teamed up with the star to deliver a body-positive lingerie ad campaign, entirely unretouched.
The New Zealand-based lingerie brand, openly “celebrates the strength and individuality of women and creates lingerie, swimwear and clothing that embraces and empowers them,” according to their website.
The pair are featured in the brand’s series titled Lonely Girls, an “ongoing journal series featuring candid portraits of inspiring women in their own spaces wearing Lonely, their way,” as stated on their site. Dunham and Kirke strip down to bear the brand’s stunning garb in the Photoshop-free set, which features an array of models from various parts of the world, all relying on nothing more than the natural light of day to allow their natural beauty to shine.
“Instead of being objectified, the women who participate in these campaigns—in this case, Lena and Jemima—are empowered and exhibit real beauty that will hopefully help women everywhere feel a little more liberated,” Lonely Hearts told Dazed in a recent interview.
Not only does Dunham prohibit Photoshop to edit her images, Lonely Hearts as a company also abides by this value, making this pairing a natural fit. Regularly sharing images from campaign shoots on their own Instagram, the brand “aspires to showcase women wearing underwear in a way that we usually don’t see in mainstream advertising and the media.”
American campaigns can take a cue from what the direction this Kiwi brand is going. With social media always on the rise, and “real” women making names for themselves in the influencer sphere, it’s no secret that fans and consumers alike are looking to relatable figures to serve as a voice they can trust.
With the Lonely Girls campaign, this forward-thinking brand showcases the body the way any good piece of lingerie should - using comfort and confidence to highlight one’s assets in a very real way. Lonely offers its supporters what they want - a realistic glimpse at just how great their items can look on almost any body shape, size and type. No smoke, no mirrors, and absolutely, positively, no Photoshop. Ever.
You can view Lonely’s campaign online at lonelylabel.com/girls, or follow their vision on Instagram @lonely.
Written by Krissy Howard
