At GLAMOUR, Ackermans is one of our favourite places to go if we’re after affordable yet trendy pieces for our wardrobes. Now, this top value retailer is disrupting the fashion industry with their latest Valentine’s Day lingerie campaign, “I Am Me” (#iamme), which encourages Mzansi’s women to celebrate who they truly are.
The campaign’s key message is not about romantic love, but rather, self-love. Tanya Ruiters, Marketing Specialist at Ackermans, shared more deets by saying: “The body-positivity movement is gaining traction all over the globe, and #iamme says to women that rather than hide or grudgingly accept your flaws, these so-called ‘imperfections’ are what make you unique.”
The campaign features a group of badass local women, including Busiswa Gqulu, Pearl Modiadie, Minki van der Westhuizen, Rami Chuene and Kim Jayde. They’re the epitome of confidence, as Tanya explains: “These five women are beautiful, talented and influential; they’re comfortable in their own skin and wholeheartedly embrace every aspect of themselves. They truly embody the spirit of #iamme.”
Creative agency 99c joined forces with Ackermans to conceptualise the campaign, and according to Creative Director Christopher Smith, the women immediately bonded with each other even though they come from different backgrounds, proving that the campaign is one that honours SA’s diversity, and showcases women who have each other’s backs.
No matter how strong the impact that they’ve made, they show that we’re all just human at the end of the day, by opting not to shy away from admitting that they too have their hang-ups. As Christopher says, “We wanted to tell the story of five enormously successful, vivacious women at the top of their game, and show that they have the same insecurities and vulnerabilities as all of us – yet they’re choosing to embrace these so-called ‘flaws’.”
In the spirit of authenticity, the pictures were only minimally retouched, to eliminate nothing but shadows and slight blemishes. The pictures fearlessly shine a spotlight on features that are by many, considered to be unattractive, like stretch marks, curves and bumps. In this way, it prompts us to take a fresh approach to the age-old concept of beauty, and hopefully, begin to see ourselves in a new light.
