Do brands really stand by what they advertise to us?
Skims Ideals and Controversy
Skims entered as a modern shapewear brand that seemed like the answer to many people’s prayers-inclusive, comfortable and chic-something that would help women all around the world embrace and accentuate their curves. The public reception was overwhelming, Kim Karshadian, the brand’s creator, made $2 million dollars off of her first Skims products within minutes of its launch. This was a breaking record in the amount of shapewear sales made in a single day ever.
Skims is only endorsed by many celebrities – Megan Fox, Kendall Jenner, Paris Hilton, Kate Moss all being featured wearing the products. Its campaigns and posts online regularly show women of all ethnicities and sizes lounging around gracefully, looking serene and seductive. It was one of these posts where users on Tiktok pointed at a distortion that can be noticed near one of her fingers, alluding to a possible photoshop fail.
Although this is not the first time something like this has happened to the family of influencers – regularly outed for their egregious photoshop fails.
Can Kim Kardashian be a Spokesperson for Body Positivity?
Kim Kardashian is arguably one of the most influential people of our times. She’s known for erecting novel beauty trends, unrealistic body standards and overall setting unattainable expectations for women and young girls. This relates to Banet-Weiser’s opinion on corporate companies advertising seemingly feminist campaigns to vulnerable young women.
One such instance happened at the Met Gala, in reference to her squeezing into the infamous Marilyn Monroe dress, she told Vogue on the red carpet: “I tried [the dress] on and it didn’t fit me. I said, ‘Give me three weeks.I had to lose 16 pounds down today. It was such a challenge. It was like a [movie] role. I was determined to fit [into] it. I haven’t had carbs or sugar in about three weeks.”
This statement faced a lot of backlash, with some celebrities like Lili Reinhart speaking out about how this set a harmful example to young and impressionable viewers.
Go Woke or Go Broke
Skims is one of many when it comes to brands not aligning with the ethos it communicated to its audience. This type of ‘virtue signalling’ has been driving purpose-driven advertising, growing into a big trend to turn profits under false pretence.
On the Skims website, an FAQ on sustainability states “At SKIMS, we are committed to the highest ethical standards and legal compliance in all aspects of our business and product supply chain. We only work with suppliers and vendors who we believe in and share our commitment to sustainability, accountability and transparency.”
But upon searching the brand’s name on Good On You, a world-leading resource for trusted insight into ethical and sustainable brand ratings, SKIMS receives the overall rating of “1-we avoid”. Another misleading promise by the brand.
As far as the claims of diversity and anti-racism go, the brand had a rocky start, having to rename itself from Kimono to Skims at its launch after massive backlash. The brand still qualifies as a fast-fashion brand, working with cheap labour that relies on systemised racism to manufacture its pieces. Despite some of the good ideals that the brand wants to represent, a closer look into how, when and where production takes place; a more transparent interaction with its customer base; and steps towards essential social and business ethical practices are necessary changes that the brand should consider.