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Advertising Boohoo Diversity & Inclusion

Boohoo enlists all-female crew for #AllGirls ads, but critics claim diversity vision is lost in casting

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By Katie Deighton, Senior Reporter

August 8, 2017 | 4 min read

Fashion e-tailer Boohoo has unveiled its latest campaign, #AllGirls, which was created by an entirely female-only crew and cast. However its underlying message of diversity has been derided a number of commenters who argue it doesn’t go far enough.

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Boohoo unveils all-female #AllGirls campaign

Boohoo brought more than 40 women ‘from different walks of life’ together to create the campaign materials, including camera operators, directors, producers and models.

In a press statement, the fashion brand said it wanted to celebrate #AllGirls ‘because girls come in all shapes and sizes … Boohoo recognises individuality. We are absolutely inclusive of all shapes and sizes, all styles and trends’.

In comparison to most fashion shoots, the campaign features a diverse mix of women: tall, petite, pregnant, tattooed and athletic models all appear in the first spot.

However critics have highlighted that the film does not include any disabled women, trans women or those who wear headscarves, and while one plus-sized model does appear, she does so only briefly without clearly revealing her ‘curve’ credentials.

Kellie Dawson, who blogs at Big Fashionista, wrote in a post: “Using the word inclusivity as if it is an accessory you wear around your neck is one thing, claiming inclusivity whilst being anything but? Well that's just spitting in the face of people who are not included.”

Art director Sophia Tassew commented: “I understand how long the process of creating a campaign can be. I also understand how important the delivery is as this represents your brand. “I would recommend a redo. I would recommend scrapping it. I would recommend casting women who are actual customers … I would recommend creating campaigns that make young girls feel included and valued.”

The online retailer has labelled the campaign as its ‘new creative vision’ in the hope that it will empower girls ‘everywhere to take charge of their creativity, feminity [sic] and or masculinity, taking them on a journey with the Boohoo brand’.

In response to the criticism, a spokesperson told The Drum: “The video you see today is the start of a story that will unfold over the next few months. The 13 girls that feature in the video released yesterday represent just a snap shot of over 100 girls we are working with on the campaign. Together they represent #AllGirls, [so] watch this space.”

Advertising Boohoo Diversity & Inclusion

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