In this age where the media plays such a vital role in our day-to-day lives, where young women are so impressionable and vulnerable, it is extremely important that the media and fashion industry embrace women and girls who come in a variety of shapes and sizes. So many brands have embraced this way of marketing, but there are still some who seem to be completely ignorant to what a realistic body type looks like -- one of these brands being the fast-fashion company Zara.

Zara's latest campaign, "Love Your Curves," displays two young female models with very slender bodies, having little to no curves. This ad sends mixed messages to women and young girls; on the one hand, the text encourages women to love their body, curves and all, while, on the other, using models that look to be the same as any of their other models: tall, skinny, and, most importantly, not curvy. The underlying assumption that might be taken from this ad is that "ideal" and "lovable" curves come in a very restricted range of body types. 

There is no problem with a body that doesn't have curves. There is also no problem with a body that has actual curves. All body types -- skinny, curvy, short, tall, etc. -- should be embraced and celebrated. Zara has a platform that could have used this campaign in such an empowering way, but unfortunately the ad was diminishing rather than uplifting, and could possibly do more damage to a girl with a negative body image than an ad not mentioning loving your body at all. 

I am petitioning Zara to remove their "Love Your Curves" ad and replace it with an ad that advocates for all body types. 

In the meantime, I am petitioning fashion and advertising moguls like Vogue, Elle, Glamour, NYLON, Teen Vogue, Condé Nast, and Refinery29 to think twice before endorsing brands like Zara that provide women with the idea that a tall and slender body type is the only "lovable" body type that there is.