Gender Stereotypes

Lane Bryant and Ashley Stewart both feature plus size women apparel that includes intimates & swimsuit, shoes & accessories, dresses, jeans, tops, and coats. The women in both websites are portrayed to wear sizes ranging from at least a fourteen up to a twenty-eight. The women show they are comfortable with their skin with a high level of confidence. Both websites have the women portrayed as a beautiful inspiration to other ladies.
Some of the differences perceived in the Ashley Stewart website is that they are sexy, hot, and sultry. The site uses many adjectives to describe the women’s looks. Some of the women are listed as fabulous, daring, fierce, and hotness with swag (Ashley Stewart, n.d.). They even have an Instagram section on the home

page where customers can post their images to show off their style in different swimwear, cocktail dresses, and catsuits. Another difference for Ashley Stewart is that the lowest size they offer is a twelve and they go up as far as a size 32. Lane Bryant’s highest size is a twenty-eight.
Lane Bryant’s (2016) website does not depict the women to have an embellished edge like Ashley’s. Instead, they are more sleek, happy, and satisfied with a laid back kind of feel. While some of the lingerie sections will show women with a sexy look, the majority of the website has a more casual outlook.
Some changes seen on media images of women would be full-figured ladies in the spotlight as oppose to past years. Earlier this year, American Eagle, a company who once portrayed only small models, has a launched a campaign to highlight a curvy plus size model (Ross, 2016). This model is being presented ‘as-is,’ with no photos being untouched by make-up. Also, more schools are making it possible for girls of all sizes to be cheerleaders, dance on the step team, and participate in pageants.