Credit: Shutterstock photoI never cared how I compared to the paddy cakes that wore Abercrombie and Fitch ( ANF ) . I wear Jordan's because the man enriched my childhood and the shoes are awesome. Basically, every facet of my being has been shaped by whether or not it makes me smile because I think it's cool. This beard game was strong long before hipsters and man buns. But I do thank Ulta( ULTA ) for the Gnarley Sheen beard oil.
My indifference is unique. Too often young, impressionable women are demeaned by magazines showing emaciated models or chicks with more plastic in their face than Donatella Versace wrapped in saran wrap. Soul-less marketing machines ran by Devil's wearing Prada, creating a generation of self-conscious women.
America is finally waking up to what Sir Mix-A-Lot was screaming thirty years ago. 36-24-36? Haha, only if she's 5' 3". One by one the carnival mirrors are being shattered and companies are embracing the beauty of the true American woman. All shapes and sizes, not bludgeoned into bulimia. Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" kicked off 12 years ago already. But this year we finally got Ashley Graham on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
American Eagle Outfitters ( AEO ) used their "Aerie Real" campaign to propel same store sales of intimate wear up 13.5% year over year by some estimates. The campaign used beautiful, smiling, real, normal sized models and didn't retouch the photos with airbrushing. American Eagle says "it's also about positivity and loving your REAL self. Inside and out. The real you is sexy."
I agree. Have you seen photos of some of these celebs before six months of Adobe ( ADBE ) Photoshop on NASA supercomputers? Sometimes their stretch marks have stretch marks. Faces look like Yogi Berra's first catcher's mitt.
We're going to hear plenty more about American Eagle Outfitter's campaign during their earnings report and conference call after the market close tomorrow March 3rd. AEO is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) with Value and Growth Style Scores of "A." Analysts are looking for 41 cents EPS for the current quarter. AEO is coming off a string of surprises to the upside. I count 15 upside surprises in a row with the last 4 averaging 3 cents above our Zacks Consensus Estimate.
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AMER EAGLE OUTF (AEO): Free Stock Analysis Report
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
