lifestyle

Dear advertisers. More of this please.

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A model born without her left forearm.

A Paralympian amputee with an artificial leg.

A size 18 model who was recently the face of Plus Size Fashion Week in the UK.

A size six model who is only just over five feet tall.

A man who is six foot four.

A woman who wants to become Britain’s first black plus-size supermodel.

A 69-year-old woman named Valarie.

A 44-year-old woman named Maxine.

A 47-year-old man named Hugo.

What do all of the above people have in common?

They’re all in a new ad campaign for UK department store Debenhams. And it wins ALL the Awesomeness Awards.

You see, there’s not a lot of diversity in advertising. There’s pretty much one type of body shape, one ethnic origin, one age. If you lived under a rock and only ever saw advertising campaigns – you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is populated by young, six foot tall, incredibly good-looking women with a penchant for short-shorts.

But Debenhams decide to break outside the model-casting mould by bringing a whole lot of different people on board for their 2013 ‘High Summer Look Book’. See:

Guess what? Every single one of them looks freaking fabulous.

Director of PR at Debenhams, Ed Watson, said the following:  “Our customers are not the same shape or size so our latest look book celebrates this diversity. Hopefully these shots will be a step, albeit a small one, towards more people feeling more comfortable about their bodies.”

There is obviously still a long way to go in terms of bringing diversity to advertising. But every step counts. And for that, we’re fist-pumping over this small victory.

What do you think of the campaign?