Olympic athlete Aly Raisman has proven herself to a be role model for women due to her advocacy for sexual assault survivors and overall fierce attitude. And now she’s encouraging others to embrace their imperfections in a new campaign for Aerie.
Posing in a black and white swimsuit for Aerie’s Love The Swim You’re In initiative, the 24-year-old gymnast puts on a poised display as she models its Aerie Henley one-piece and proudly shows off her toned body in unretouched images.
Aly shared the pictures from her photoshoot to her Instagram account where she posted an inspiring message that encouraged others to embrace their imperfections and appreciate the body they have.
Body-positive: Olympic athlete Aly Raisman, 24, is encouraging others to embrace their imperfections as part of Aerie’s Love The Swim You’re In initiative
Confident: Posing in a black and white swimsuit, Aly puts on a poised display as she models its Aerie Henley one-piece and proudly shows off her toned body
She wrote: ‘Love the swim you’re in! On set with my @Aerie family. Good vibes. A reminder to be kind to yourself.
‘No one has the perfect body and our imperfections make us unique. I have found meditation to be a helpful reminder to take time for myself and appreciate my body, how do you take time for yourself?’
She added: ‘For every unretouched swim photo you share with #AerieReal, @Aerie will donate $1 (up to 25,000) to National Eating Disorders Association, a non-profit that supports those affected by eating disorders.’
And since she shared the photos, fans have taken to the comments section to express their enthusiasm over Aly’s body-positive message.
One person wrote: ‘Beautiful woman with a beautiful message’ while another said: ‘Thank you for promoting a cause so near and dear to many! You’re so beautiful Aly! And not to mention you are slaying that suit!’
Inspiration: Aly shared the pictures from her photoshoot to her Instagram where she posted an inspiring message that encouraged others to embrace their imperfections
Strong: In March, the gymnast posed in a black swimsuit with the word ‘survivor’ written in white letters across her chest as part of Aerie’s new collection
Others took the time tell Aly how much they appreciate her and look up to her as role model because one person wrote: ‘You are such an inspiration to me Aly. I’m reading your book Fierce right now and it’s the best book I’ve ever read. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. I love you so much.’
And more people added their comments with one that said: ‘Such a beautiful and inspirational girl’ and another that read: ‘You’re so gorgeous you are a role model of mine.’
This isn’t the first campaign Aly has participated in for the lingerie retail company, that in 2014 announced it would no longer be Photoshopping or retouching images of its models.
In March, the gymnast posed in a black swimsuit with the word ‘survivor’ written in white letters across her chest as part of the release of a new collection marking International Women’s Day.
In January, Aly made her debut as an Aerie spokesperson and modeled in an unretouched lingerie campaign for the body-positive brand.
And most recently, she paid tribute to her mother, Lynn, by posing alongside her in a touching new campaign that also included her younger sister, Chloe.
Natural: Aly made her debut as an Aerie spokesperson in January and modeled in an unretouched lingerie campaign for the body-positive brand
Family: Most recently, Aly paid tribute to her mother, Lynn,(middle) by posing alongside her in a touching new campaign that also included her younger sister, Chloe (far left)
Talent: Aly is a three-time Olympic gold medalist has become a passionate advocate for survivors of sexual assault
In a January interview with Fashionista, Aly shared why she was drawn to work with the brand and what it means to her to be an Aerie role model.
She said: ‘Being a role model and then being a part of Aerie’s brand is very important to me. I love everything that they stand for. They encourage you to talk about your insecurities; they encourage you to talk about tough times you’re going through, because in our society, everyone just wants to show their life is perfect.
She added: ‘But I think being a role model is about being real and being honest, and showing who you truly are. Sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it’s scary, but I think people respond really well to it.’
The three-time Olympic gold medalist has become a passionate advocate for survivors of sexual assault, and in January delivered an incredibly strong impact statement during the sentencing of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar.
In January, Aly was one of many survivors who stood in court in front of her abuser, staring him down as she delivered her victim impact statement.
Larry has since been sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for his crimes, in addition to a separate 60-year sentence on child pornography charge, and another sentence of up to 125 years for molesting young gymnasts.