Aerie has been taking the lingerie world by storm with consistently strong sales.
The lingerie brand of the teen retailer American Eagle appeals to young women with its curvy models and unretouched images.
Iskra Lawrence is perhaps the most recognizable Aerie model, and she illustrates the confidence Aerie encourages its shoppers to have as well.
She told Business Insider she was axed from her first modeling agency for having hips that were too big. She was just a teenager at the time. Now Aerie announced that she would be an official brand representative.
Jennifer Foyle, Aerie's global brand president, said in a statement"
Aerie is about embracing and celebrating the real you; Iskra embodies our mantra of challenging conventional standards through her unique beauty and vibrant personality. We are thrilled to bring her to the forefront of our campaigns.
Lawrence chatted with Business Insider last summer about her experiences as a model and about what's important to her. It solidifies that she is, indeed, a role model for young women.
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Lawrence got into modeling when she was 13 — her mother entered her into an Elle Girl contest.
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Before that, she was a swimmer, which helped her develop a good relationship with food. "Because I was a swimmer, I felt like sports did help me to realize that my body was more than what it just looked like ... and if didn't eat, then I couldn't swim fast," she said.
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She was dropped from her first agency because her hips were too big. "I was about 15-16," she told Business Insider, "and they just said to me, 'Your [hips are] 36 inches — they need to be 34 at this age. They're too big.' That's just destroying."
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See the rest of the story at Business Insider