Target Australia's New Swimsuit Ad Totally Gets It Right

Target Australia released a new swimsuit ad this month that is all kinds of awesome. Besides the fact that it reminds those of us in colder climates that there are people actually frolicking in the sun somewhere.

The ad is for their new swimwear styles, and it features women of varying sizes and ages:

This is revolutionary because it’s not just women of different shapes and sizes, but women of different ages, too. And everyone is hanging out in the same ad.

It’s refreshing to see older women in clothing ads. After a certain age, you just disappear — as far as most clothing outlets are concerned, anyway. My mother is 80 years old and still shops at Express. Do you think they’ve ever featured an older person in one of their ads?

Advertisers and brands alike need to wake up. There are so many different types of people dying to be represented. It’s the most ridiculous thing about the modeling and marketing world, actually — that they think the rest of us really only want people that look nothing like the majority of us selling us clothes. Worst. Idea. Ever.

Target is already doing its part to be inclusive, so this ad comes as no surprise. They have a vast plus size collection, Ava & Viv. They were one of the first companies to introduce a plus size male model. The Huffington Post notes the older woman in the shot has done other campaigns for Target before.

There’s something very inclusive about having all different types of people in one ad. Maybe their next ad will have more cultural diversity: the linked collection on their Facebook page is sorely lacking that.

Target captioned the photo, “Yay for looking good and feeling great this summer!” We’ll be applauding it from our couches, staring at the cold outside.