Magazine ads would have us believe that all brides are a size 0, but that isn't the reality. And perhaps rather than using the wedding countdown as a deadline to “slim down” for the aisle, it’s about time brides were given an opportunity to show how incredibly gorgeous they truly are — as they already are.
Bridalwear giant David’s Bridal turned to model Mercy Watson, who happens to be a size 14, for a photo shoot in London that celebrates the brand’s UK expansion. Seeing how her Instagram is a mix of gorgeous, curvy fashion shots and quotes encouraging women to love their bodies, she seems to be a natural fit for this opportunity.
"I'm so proud to be part of an ad campaign that helps all women celebrate such an exciting milestone in our lives and its really been an honor to work with a brand that sees the beauty in women of all shapes and sizes!" Watson told TODAY. "I'm overwhelmed by the positive response to the images and hope they help all brides feel confident and excited as they search for that gown of their dreams."
According to Trevor Lunn, SVP and chief customer officer for David’s Bridal, the brand's average customer is also a size 14, so this change in advertising strategy makes sense.
“We’ve always seen a diverse group of women in our stores and felt it was important that we made a change to reflect that in our campaign imagery," Lunn told TODAY. "It wasn’t that this season was precisely the right time to feature a size 14 model — it’s something we should have been doing all along."
Lunn pointed out that this is not the first time the company featured a "curve" model in their ad campaigns. "Last season we shot with Candice Huffine (recently featured in the Pirelli calendar) who’s also a size 14. We chose Mercy because we felt she was a true reflection of our customers, who are not all size twos. The reaction has been incredible! We’re seeing positive customer comments on our social channels in support of Mercy and the campaign,” said Lunn.
The dresses in the campaign, which Watson modeled, will be available beginning Dec. 29 and will be available from sizes 0 to 26.