Almost three years ago, just as I began my junior year of high school, I walked through the doors of my local mall and into American Eagle Outfitters for my very first job interview. Even though I had not yet experienced the joys of employment, the store managers could easily tell that I was excited about getting a job for the holiday season and offered me a position at the store as a seasonal sales associate. Though I was hired primarily to work in the American Eagle side of the brand, I frequently work in the sister store as well, Aerie. To this day, I'm proud to be a part of the American Eagle Outfitters family.

For those of you who don't know, Aerie, a brand of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., is a lifestyle brand offering intimates, apparel, activewear and swim collections. With the #AerieREAL movement, Aerie celebrates its community by advocating for body positivity and the empowerment of all women. The company believes in inspiring customers to love their real selves, inside and out." Their motto? "Let the Real You Shine.™"

When I started as an associate in 2015, the body-positive campaign was beginning to take-off. "#AerieReal" was launched in 2014, when the first round of untouched images were publicized. While the featured women were still thin and professional models, Aerie's marketing team decided to lay off on the Photoshop and leave stretch marks, tattoos, dimples, and curves visible to the eyes of consumers.

Aerie's memo regarding their new mission of ditching retouching to promote body positivity. Facebook/aerie

When asked about the intentions behind launching the #AerieReal movement, Jenny Altman, an Aerie brand manager said in a Good Morning America interview, "They are still models, they're still gorgeous, they just look a little more like the rest of us," Altman added, "We're hoping to break the mold … we hope by embracing this that real girls everywhere will start to embrace their own beauty."

Soon after the movement gained attention, Aerie leads the fashion industry down a path that arguably does not gain enough attention, which only furthered their commitment to promoting healthy bodies and body positivity. Soon after the inception of #AerieReal, the company partnered up with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) as a key sponsor of the non-profit organization. Aerie released a collection of apparel—called "Strong. Beautiful. Me."—and 100% of the product sales directly benefit NEDA.

Aerie's "Strong. Beautiful. Me." collection spanned from apparel to intimates.aerie.com

In addition to the clothing collection, Aerie has also become a national sponsor for NEDA's national walks awareness program (NEDA Walk), which holds about 65 walks per year in cities all over the nation. In the summer of 2017, Aerie also started the "Love The Swim You're In" fundraiser where they pledged to donate $1 to NEDA for every untouched swim photo posted on social media with the #AerieReal (which raised up to $10,000). This campaign returned for a second time this summer, raising the fundraising cap to $25,000.

"Aerie has been a wonderful supporter, and we are grateful to be collaborating with them again for the Strong. Beautiful. Me. campaign in honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week,"said Claire Mysko, CEO of NEDA. "By championing body diversity, Aerie is encouraging women and girls to live authentically. Body dissatisfaction is a key contributor to the development of eating disorders, and we thank Aerie for helping to create a culture where all kinds of bodies are celebrated."

The new campaign has reciprocated huge benefits to the business-side of Aerie as well. In 2015, the year following the launch of #AerieReal, the retailer's sales increased by 20%. Fast forward to 2018, and Aerie still proves to be an incredibly successful retailer. In a company report for this year's first quarter sales, Jay Schottenstein, AEO's Chief Executive Officer stated, "After starting a body positivity movement, Aerie is posting record growth rates and striking a real emotional connection with its expanding customer base." The New York Post has also reported that the popular Victoria's Secret brand, Pink, has suffered a decrease in sales for the first time in a decade.

While all of these tremendous accomplishments have been made in the past 4 years, the #AerieReal initiative has reached another breakthrough when it comes to their newest inclusive ad campaign. The featured models, this time around, are shown embracing their chronic illnesses and disabilities. There's a model proudly wearing her ostomy. There's a model living with Type I Diabetes and sporting her insulin pump. There's also a model with Down Syndrome, and she has a smile that speaks volumes on her level of self-confidence. Abby Sams, a model featured in the campaign who uses a wheelchair, expressed her gratitude on Twitter for Aerie's inclusive efforts in a series of tweets.

Abby Sams is excited to represent the disabled community in the newest Aerie release.@abby__sams

I've looked at the photos over and over again, and I cannot help but think of one word to describe them: genuine. They are raw, authentic, and absolutely real. A little girl with a chronic illness or disability can now look at these advertisements and see a strong, empowered woman that looks like her. From cancer survivors to a woman with arm crutches, every model featured in these campaigns prove that beauty doesn't bear a cookie-cutter definition

A model with Vitiligo radiates confidence in her Aerie wear.Andrew Buda and Alex Albeck/Aerie

Like many people, Aerie's ongoing message of body positivity means something to me as well. I have endured an uphill battle my whole life when it comes to body image and fulfilling a certain type of physique that I have personally deemed as "beautiful" or "perfect" in my mind. I would look at myself in the mirror and be filled with dismay as I pointed out flaws with every single feature of my body that did not meet the unrealistic goals I've painted for myself. I attribute these expectations to the supermodel-plastered advertisements I've been surrounded by as I grew up. But finally, over the past four years, this company has encouraged me to embrace who I am, the REAL me.

The inspiration to write this article came as I was wrapping up my shift as an Aerie cashier last week. I rung up a warm-smiled woman, and as she paid for her items, she turned her phone to me with a picture of one of the models in the campaign wearing an insulin pump. She said, "I have never shopped in an Aerie before. I don't know why, but I do know that I'm going to be a loyal customer for life." Her voice broke which caused goosebumps to form on her arm stretched towards me. "I have Type I Diabetes, so to see a woman like me be able to model for a company like this, it means the world." She assured me that she had already called our corporate office to praise their work in promoting body positivity. The raw emotions she showed and the words she spoke moved me to write this article and shed light on something so near and dear to my heart.

Thank you, American Eagle Outfitters and Aerie, for transforming the fashion industry and leading us down a path of happiness and health when it comes to body image. As a young woman who has grown up surrounded in a world praising Victoria's Secret Angels and other unrealistic standards for my body, I couldn't be more grateful for this beautiful campaign and the path it has created for the future. I am beyond proud to be #AerieREAL.

Three years down and many to go with this amazing place!Brooklyn Vaughan

Visit Aerie's website to learn more about the brand and shop online or find a local store near you!