by Julia Bluhm

When we take a closer look at our typical clothing catalogs, what do we see? Normally, we see young women with perfect skin, hair, and bodies posing next to a guy, right? And you’ve all read how we feel about the sexualized Candies ads aimed at tweens. We know it isn’t “real”… It’s Photoshop and airbrushed and all that stuff that’s supposed to make them look so perfect.

However, at breakfast recently, I saw my older sister scanning through two clothes catalogs that swept me off my feet: Title Nine and Athleta. Curiously, I glanced over her shoulder to see something I’d never really seen before in a clothing catalog–real women. So, I had to look further.

According to the Title Nine website, the women who model in the catalogs are not actresses or experienced models. “It is probably our models that best represent who we are here at Title Nine. All are ordinary women capable of extraordinary things. Like many of you, they are full-time moms or they have full-time careers outside the home.”

The company name came from the “Title Nine” legislation that provided girls and women equal opportunities to compete in sports in school. Another interesting part is the women get to list a few funny things about themselves in their pictures, like their favorite super hero, or their hidden talent. It’s not just about their bodies or clothes!

Also, the ads themselves are different than the toxic media women are often are portrayed in. In Title Nine, the women are surfing, mountain bike riding, running, and doing these incredible yoga poses I didn’t even think were possible. These women at Title Nine and Athleta aren’t necessarily super-duper skinny–they’re super duper muscular and strong!

I wanted to learn more, so I went to Athleta’s website, and what I found made me love them even more. They had a whole section made to inspire women! It had everything from exercise and nutrition tips, to inspiring stories, to bios of incredible female athletes.

I know these are athletic clothing stores, but I don’t think it should be only them who use real, powerful women for their ads. Other clothing companies may not show girls running marathons in their ads, but you’d think they could do something a little more creative and constructive then just smiling half-naked next to guys, right? Women are capable of so much more.

If the media would change their ads, women and girls all over the place may blossom with self-confidence. As a young girl, I know we compare ourselves to what we see on T.V. and in catalogs a lot–even when we know it’s fake. I know our generation won’t change overnight–and some places won’t change at all–but some places will. I think companies like Athleta and Title Nine are the starting point for this change. And it’s change for the better.