Lane Bryant’s #ImNoAngel Models Talk Empowerment, Imperfections And Owning Your Curves

When is a lingerie ad not just a lingerie ad? When it’s also the spark for a national conversation about body diversity.

Lane Bryant is taking a stand for the idea that sexiness comes in all shapes and sizes with its new #ImNoAngel campaign for lingerie line Cacique, which comes in sizes 12-28 and cup sizes up to an H. The campaign launched Monday and has been reverberating around social media ever since, and while we could chalk the response up to the sheer scale of it—the ads have been plastered on subways, buses and billboards around the country, and are being rolled out in print and television spots—or the new, high-fashion look the Cass Bird-lensed images represent for the century-old retailer, we’re inclined to think it has a lot more to do with the message (and, perhaps, the tagline’s not-quite-subtle barb towards industry behemoth Victoria’s Secret.)

I had the chance to witness the public’s reactions firsthand yesterday in New York, where campaign stars Ashley Graham, Candice Huffine, Elly Mayday, Marquita Pring, Victoria Lee and Justine Legault celebrated the launch astride a double-decker bus with a performance by ’90s icons Salt-n-Pepa (who, per Pepa, got involved because “empowerment, self worth, loving yourself and bringing up women” is what they’re all about).

“We wanted to represent beautiful women of all sizes, shapes and colors,” said Lane Bryant CEO Linda Heasley, explaining how the company chose the six models for the campaign. “We think these women are just beautiful, and all of them have a great story and all of them stand for body confidence. They’re all very public about that. That was very important to us. We believe this is a movement. It should be! For all women.” As for the models, I had the chance to speak with four of them about self-love, sexiness and whether the “plus-size” label (which, it should be noted, is absent from Lane Bryant’s marketing language) should disappear for good.

Lucky: The shoot looks like it was so much fun! What was the vibe like on set?

Candice Huffine: “Just powerful. It was a group of women, you know, Cass Bird shot it, and she was excited also about showcasing beautiful women. You just felt the energy in the room, like we all knew that we were doing something really important and it was going to be a big deal, because it’s things that we’ve craved to see for so long. You could really just feel it. I mean, I cried at one point. I know Marquita shed a tear at one point. We were all just really, really happy.”

Ashley Graham: “It was incredible, it was empowering and the word that we kept using was ‘necessary.’ There was no retouching. We let it all hang out, because we have real bodies and, you know, we’re empowering every single woman. It’s incredible. This is the curvy girl era and we need to embrace it. This woman wants this! I want this! It’s necessary. There’s not any reason why we shouldn’t be celebrating every type of body.”

Justine Legault: “It was so wonderful. A lot of people, especially with our sizes, they want to go more va-va-voom. This felt so real and natural and beautiful.”

What does the tagline #ImNoAngel mean to you?

Candice Huffine: “To me it just means I’m a powerful, sassy woman—I’m not falling into any particular mold, per se. I’m breaking them a bit. And I’m being my own woman. I think it’s a really powerful statement.”

Elly Mayday: “What it means to me is I’m not perfect, and that’s beautiful, I think. It’s sexy and it’s real, and that’s something that people can relate to.”

What do you think of the recent campaign to #DropThePlus? Is it time to get rid of the “plus-size” label?

Justine Legault: “I don’t call myself a blonde-haired model, a blue-eyed model, a five-nine-and-a-half model. I don’t put myself in a box, so don’t put me in a box.”

Ashley Graham: “You know, it’s interesting because I really think that there is a negative connotation that goes with the word ‘plus,’ but I also understand why clients use it. So I kind of go back and forth with it. I will call myself a ‘plus-size model’ because it’s literally been embedded in me. Fifteen years of this: ‘You’re plus size,’ ‘You’re plus size,’ ‘You’re plus size.’ So it’s kind of like, ‘OK, fine, you want to call me ‘plus size?’ Whatever.’ But at the end of the day, I know who I am: I am a curvy, sexy, voluptuous woman, and you can’t tell me nothing else. So if you really have to call me “plus,” fine! That’s whatever. I’m curvy, and I’m very curvy. I mean, honey, it doesn’t get curvier than this. But I’m very proud of it, you know?”

The first thing most commenters say when we post a story about a “plus-size model” being cast in a campaign or a magazine is “What? But she doesn’t look plus-size!” What’s your take on that reaction?

Elly Mayday: “I think it kind of sheds a light on what is deemed ‘plus size’ in the fashion industry and what is deemed ‘plus size’ in our minds, or what we think of it as. Obviously, there’s something that needs to be changed when a label is so misconstrued. So we’re there to help this idea of, well, ‘plus size’ in the fashion industry is not the same as what you think it is. And we’re trying to show the difference, I guess, between what normal or average women look like compared to what we’re made to believe everyone looks like.”

Has modeling been empowering for you?

Ashley Graham: “Absolutely. 100 percent. I always say, I don’t know what I would be doing if I wasn’t modeling. I started when I was 12 years old, and you’re reaffirmed every day: ‘Oh, you’re beautiful,’ ‘Oh, your body looks amazing.’ And that’s what I’m trying to teach young girls who don’t have that every day. You have to find self worth. You have to look yourself in the mirror, and you really have to tell yourself that you love yourself. It sounds corny and it sounds cheesy, but it’s totally necessary, because like I said, modeling for 15 years and being told over and over, you believe what you hear. So if you’re constantly telling yourself that you’re fat, you’re going to feel fat the rest of your life. So change your words! Words have power. They go deep. ”