Outdoor Voices, an athletic wear brand that believes in #DoingThings together, has received acclaim and praise for posting photos on their social pages that aren’t edited. Outdoor Voices mission is that they, “believe in going out and Doing Things. Moving our bodies and having fun. Let’s let go of our expectations, rules, shoulds and should nots. Let’s have fun, be free, make discoveries, make friends, and make progress. Let’s start #DoingThings together”. Similar to brands like Aerie, Outdoor Voices’ celebration of all body types made them appealing, and their trendy workout sets are a plus too.
Photos from: @Outdoorvoices
Outdoor Voices has recently partnered with a CGI Instagram influencer @Lilmiquela, which is where my problem lies. Created by a startup company in L.A. called, Brud, Lil Miquela depicts a 19 year-old girl who is very much “on trend”. But that’s just the thing she DEPICTS a 19 year-old girl—Lil Miquela isn’t real, but if her followers don’t know that, she’s creating a false hope for younger girls who aspire to be just like her.
Why would Outdoor Voices, a company that celebrates the realness, diversity, and authenticity found in body types partner with something that is fake? It seems a little paradoxical to me.
Photo from: @Lilmiquela
Outdoor Voices partnered with Lil Miquela in a recent Instagram campaign that has Lil Miquela repping an Outdoor Voices athletic dress. Tyler Haney, Outdoor Voices CEO, in a recent interview with CNN says that her company likes to be “experimental”, but partnering with a fake influencer is a little too much.
What’re your thoughts on Outdoor Voices partnering with Lil Miquela?
IMC Hawks Blog 
I found this blog post very interesting. I was confused when I first read the article because I was unfamiliar with Outdoor voices and Lil Miquela. After looking up the Instagram pages I actually understood what you meant by the fact that Miquela isn’t actually real. She is literally a robot. I have never seen anything like this and I agree that it is very strange for an athletic company to partner with a robot to endorse their brand.
I totally get your point in saying that it’s a little weird that this company is using a “fake person” as a model. Whether they claim to be experimental or not, I think it’s important that they’re more aware of the choices they make! However, I’m pretty sure that they partnered with Lil Miquela because of her large social media following. It’s all about marketing! And that exactly what they’re trying to by including her in their brand—whether they see it as promoting a fake image of what a girl should look like or not.
I agree with the author’s thoughts on this blog. If a company prides themselves on being “real” then why would they partner with a page that is 100% fake? I mean, if you want to keep pictures unedited, why would you put them on a 3D computer model that doesn’t even physically exist?
Great article! I think a company that promotes bodily diversity like Outdoor Voices definitely made a wrong move in partnering with a fake influencer, as the account promotes unrealistic standards for women. I think that creating a robotic influencer in the first place is already a bad idea, what exactly are they trying to do with Lil Miquela that could be good for society?
Wow! That is so wild to me considering I did not know that this robot existed and that the creators portray her as a real person, just glossing over the fact she is not real. She does everything that a normal girl would do, but with perfect features and body shape. Going back to the Outdoor Voices campaign, it is hard to convince an audience that you support and uplift all body shapes and sizes when you also use a perfectly shaped robot with no flaws. They seem to contradict themselves; where Outdoor Voices states that they do not photoshop any of their photos, they would not need to if someone was manufacturally made! This type of branding sounds good at first glance, but when taking a closer look, their mission statement is flawed and is not fully true. Personally, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth for that brand that is all about being yourself and making friends, and it just seems not real or authentic. So interesting and something I will tell others about for sure!
Hello,
I really enjoyed your post! I didn’t know much about Outdoor Voices or Lil Miquela so it was nice to read something really unique. First of all, I think the whole idea of Lil Miquela is creepy. I don’t understand the appeal of following someone who doesn’t actually exist and is clearly a CGI person. Secondly, I think the fact that Outdoor Voices partnered with Lil Maquela is even more bizarre. I understand why an experimental company that pushes traditional boundaries would want to find a unique partner, but I don’t think Lil Miquela makes sense for the brand. Outdoor Voices promotes being yourself, being active, and really living and yet they’ve partnered with an Instagram influencer who physically doesn’t exist. Outside of CGI photos, Lil Maquela can’t be herself, be active, or really live because she isn’t real. I understand why she would appeal to Outdoor Voices because along with their company, Lil Maquela pushes boundaries, but I don’t think the pairing is the perfect fit Outdoor Voices was hoping for.
I love brands that market natural bodies, and celebrate being true to yourself and being comfortable in your own skin. I feel as if we need more brands that are true to this image, and it is exciting seeing more representation of different bodies through retailers, especially a workout retailer. I love what Outdoor Voices is trying to do, become another brand supporting real, not photoshopped bodies and marketing their products to all body types. Thats why when I saw that they partnered with a CGI Instagram Influencer, it makes me question the authenticity of this brand and if they truly stand behind what their marketed image is supposed to be. If they truly are about body positivity and including all body types, why would they hire a fake instagram influencer? This marketing move honestly confuses me, I understand they are trying to stand out amongst all the other retailers and athletic brands, but I believe this marketing decision isn’t very smart. They could of chosen a different instagram influencer to represent their brand, one who is actually a real woman who has a realistic, natural body type. This is what they are trying to come across as their brand image, so why wouldn’t they chose an influencer who embodies this body type?
To be honest, I didn’t even know who Lil Miquela was until reading this post. It’s a bit odd to me that we now have fake influencers. I had not heard of Outdoor Voices either. It’s peculiar that they would partner with a CGI influencer. Perhaps they are trying to show that their clothing is for anyone- even a computerized girl. But like you said, younger followers may not know she is real. I think that is a problem that lies within the concept of Lil Miquela herself. The developers should do some work on getting across the message to people who may assume that Lil Miquela is real.
I think this is a really interesting topic and its something to really brainstorm about. I would think about supporting this company because of the realness and rawness of their brand and products, especially with not editing their photos. I think in the end all companies want to do is make income. So by them partnering with Lil Miquela, they are making more money and portraying their company as something great and beautiful to the eye.
I really enjoyed reading this article as I too have seen the advertisements for this outdoor voices brand. I had no idea that they had partnered with this Instagram account that is represented by this fake 19-year-old figure. At first, I was thrown off guard with the same reaction being ‘why would this brand that is focused on realness, associate with a brand that is centered around falseness?’ Although, the more I thought about it they are not necessarily changing their beliefs, they are just using this account as a voice to get their brand heard. I do think if they used real girls it would better benefit their brand as their costumers could connect with their brand which would lead to them wanting to purchase their items and support their brand.
Erica Hardy
Honestly I had never heard of this girl before, so I just looked her up. This is so weird and stupid, honestly. I agree that a brand such as Outdoor Voices should not partner with a fake person. Who knew such a thing existed. That is exactly the opposite of what they claim their brand’s vision and purpose is. How do you post an unedited picture of a fake person?
I personally love Outdoor Voices and their brand, but had no idea who Lil Miquela was or that she was an influencer for Outdoor Voices. I distinctively remember the first time I saw one of Outdoor Voice’s instagram posts that featured an unedited picture of a woman in running shorts. It was so refreshing to see cellulite on a model, something that most females have and struggle to accept. When I read this article, I was shocked to find out that they support an influencer who isn’t authentic. I think it’s definitely unethical to promote a certain image to young, impressionable girls, especially when that image isn’t even real. I looked at Lil Miquela’s instagram and was a little confused about this post at first; I didn’t think she wasn’t real at all until I saw “Robot” in her bio. I can definitely see how this could become a huge problem for a brand that promotes authenticity so firmly once people find out that Lil Miquela isn’t really a 19-year-old girl.
I feel paradocical, too. To insist diversity of natural beauty is a good concept to society and thir bussiness. However, this partnerring with Lil Miquela makes me feel Outdoor just focuses on thire bussiness.
This is a very interesting post. I have heard of outdoor voices before, and they show that anyone can look good in their clothing. Their clothing isn’t about looking good, but feeling good! I find it very contradicting that they would use a fake “person” to model their clothing. The only reason why I think it is okay, is because she has 1 million followers, so that will help get the word out about outdoor voices. Personally, seeing a fiction “famous” model wear a clothing brand wouldn’t convince me to buy the product.
I think that this is a little deceiving having a body positive company that partners with an instagram model who is selling one body image.
I think that this is interesting. Brands should definitely be conscious of their decisions when it comes to making partnerships with influencers around them. Honestly, some brands do not think far into who they are partnering with and strictly just look at their numbers. It is sad but the truth about today’s advertising world.
I think this influencer is brilliant! The fact that there is no fixed perfection of a body type to be used or depicted in this brand and also promoting to go out and do things. By forgetting the expectations and rules, etc. and just promote overall health just by moving our bodies together.