Rihanna came, Rihanna saw, Rihanna conquered
The fact that there is more than one body type has now also been recognised by a few lingerie brands which have made it their mission to change existing social beauty standards and focus on inclusivity.
In 2018, Rihanna founded her lingerie brand ‘Savage x Fenty’. The brand promises fearlessness, confidence and inclusivity. But Rihanna wouldn’t be Rihanna if her brand didn’t set her apart from competitors. Savage is all about ‘body positivity’ and ‘diversity’.
LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
Savage x Fenty Sport is the newest addition. Her recent campaign spot is about women in sports. The 30 seconds highlight women of different body types, skin colours and sizes and show that there are no boundaries as far as sports for women go. Women in sports are often labeled and pigeonholed by society, assuming they are the more delicate and weaker beings. The commercial pushes back against these stereotypes and moves away from the conventional image that women have to follow certain rules.
SAVAGE STRATEGY: Why it works
Banet-Weiser focuses on the topic of feminism in the modern era, investigating how feminism is portrayed via the media that circulates around us. Through a short advertisement emphasising how powerful women are, Savage x Fenty Sport showcases all types of beauty. Rihanna frees the ordinary woman from the industrial and commercial idea of having to strive for a certain ideal. The brand shows that the problem lies in people’s fantasies about women in sports.
The inclusion of a diverse range of women completely goes against the traditional beauty ideals of predominantly white, affluent girls and women. Instead a light is shone onto a mixture of people, resulting in a diverse, socially-aware and widely admired brand that is corporate friendly. Often, the idea that the only reason for wearing underwear is to please men, forgetting that most important is the satisfaction and self-confidence of oneself. Through the authentic choices of models, Rihanna aims to encourage others to feel beautiful and most importantly confident within their own bodies.
MARKETING à LA RIRI
How does Rihanna succeed in fixing the fractures in the lingerie industry? The singer’s brand follows a special marketing concept within the neoliberal brand culture that stands out from the competition. Her seasonal fashion show along with her campaigns address societal women’s issues, reverse them and take advantage by using them as their key selling point. Thus, she manages to make feminist expressions and politics brandable by criticising beauty standards and connecting them to corporate capitalism. She achieves a lot of visibility for her brand, especially because her status as a celebrity makes it easier to establish the brand values.
Banet-Weiser argues that celebrity and corporate feminism often come from capitalist thinking and are therefore more business oriented. However the fact is, Rihannas brand has not been successful because she used inclusivity as a seasonal trend. Rather she built her whole brand around it and uses it as her business model gaining international popularity. People get beauty ideals passed down to them, primarily through the media. How women perceive their own bodies is clearly related to what is portrayed as ‘attractive’ in the media. That’s why it’s important that fashion campaigns address and embody the theme of ‘self-love’ and ‘body positivity’.
Her campaigns represent those who aren’t usually highlighted in fashion ads. The Savage x Fenty fashion show is anything but a conventional runway show. The models become ‘pieces of art’. A judgemental free space is created that gives viewers the opportunity to identify and feel like they belong. With her brand, Rihanna is influencing the body positivity movement and changing the existing rules set by other lingerie brands. She elevates the conventional norms and reinvents their concept in a way that will translate to millions of people worldwide.