Who says one has to be skinny to be beautiful. Marks and Spencer, for one, doesn’t believe so. The brand has earned itself full marks through its new “Sexy Shapewear” advertisement, The Daily Mail reports. Staying true to its pledge to represent real women, the new ad campaign features models of all shapes and sizes.

The television and print ad features six models of different shapes and sizes in black lingerie and stiletto heels in the same color. The women have been styled in body-shaping briefs, black curve-skimming slips, and black lace bodies.

At a time when models and celebrities are airbrushed to make them look skinny, this initiative by M&S comes as a fresh breath of air. The brand, which has employed models like Twiggy in the past, has introduced ordinary models so that customers can relate with it in a better way.

Founded in 1884 by Sir Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer, M&S is a world-renowned brand and has 703 stores in the United Kingdom and 361 stores spread across more than 40 countries. The brand carries a range of clothing as well as luxury food items.
M&S’ “For Every Woman You Are” ad campaign features models that range from an age group of early 20s to late 40s and sizes from eight to 16.

“The campaign features a selection of models representing a range of ages and sizes which mirror M&S' broad customer base,” independent.co.uk quoted the brand as saying.

Dove too had employed models of all shapes and sizes for its “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty”.

In May this year, Vogue started a health initiative in which it pledged not to feature anorexic models on the magazine and work with only those models who are healthy, helping to promote a healthy body image.

Renowned designer Karl Lagerfeld once made a statement that nobody in the fashion industry works with anorexic models. The statement was criticized by many as untrue, since extremely skinny and unhealthy looking models are featured on the runway regularly. True or not, it looks like at least M&S is doing their bit to promote a healthy body image among consumers.