Girl Power: H&M's New Autumn Collection Video
With the air quickly crisping down (a.k.a. strappy romper to over-sized turtleneck in 60 seconds flat thanks to Chicago's non-existent fall transition), Autumn brings us new collections of knits, tights, and deep hues adorning every mannequin on Michigan Ave. For the girl on a budget, H&M has always been a staple for a new cozy sweater or statement dress. While I do often dream of strutting runways in couture instead of trekking through the quad to Cobb for SOSC, H&M's latest Autumn 2016 Campaign epitomizes my daily dress and the quirky charm of the every girl. Free to check her teeth for food in a knife's shiny surface at dinner or binge on late night french fries, the freeing feminist spirit is encapsulated in this kick-ass video.
Diverse and inclusive, the campaign shows real-life women doing real-life things - a concept frequently absent from most of today's fashion advertisements. Full of plus-sized, muscular, and mixed races, the campaign captures the beauty of diversity and excites all women to challenge the typically suffocating restraints of being "ladylike and proper" and to be proud of "who they truly are and what they stand for," as an H&M spokesperson wonderfully states.
Featuring Lion Babe's Jillian Hervey's catchy song "She's a Lady," the ad continues to redefine what it means to be a lady. When interviewed about the ad, Hervey stated "It’s exciting to see 'diversity and individuality' on trend, but I don’t want it to be a trend, I want to push the boundaries so that the weird, left and unique are the aim for the larger part of the population." While we should celebrate H&M's kick-ass campaign, we should continue to the push that the inclusive empowerment of all women to be bold, opinionated, and utterly themselves ought to be more than a marketing trend but a normal part of our daily society.
Check out H&M's Autumn Collection 2016 Video:
