• The University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE) analysed 400 Instagram posts from 20 international fashion brands, assessing the representation of people perceived as non-white, gender, visibly older age, plus-size bodies and body hair.
• Calvin Klein has the highest proportion of people perceived as non-white at 85%, while Jack Wolfskin has the lowest at 0%.
• Among the 1,063 people featured, only one was visibly plus-size – suggesting that body positivity has barely made its way into the industry’s visual language.

Berlin, July 2026 – Among the 1,063 models featured in Instagram posts by 20 of the world’s best-known fashion brands, just one person was visibly plus-size. This is one of the findings of a new analysis by the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE), which examined the 20 most recent posts featuring at least one person from each of 20 internationally relevant fashion and sportswear brands, assessing them across a range of diversity characteristics.

Based solely on visible characteristics in the Instagram posts, the analysis recorded how many of the people featured were perceived as non-white, their perceived gender, whether they appeared visibly older, whether they were perceived as plus-size and – among those perceived as female – whether body hair other than head hair and eyebrows was visible.

How does the representation of people perceived as non-white differ between brands?

Calvin Klein has the highest proportion of people perceived as non-white, at 85%, followed by Adidas at 70% and Under Armour at 65%. The lowest proportions were found at Jack Wolfskin (0%), Zara (10%) and Louis Vuitton (12%). The gap between Calvin Klein and Jack Wolfskin is therefore 85 percentage points – the largest difference between any two brands identified in the entire analysis.

Gender representation strongly reflects industry segments

A closer look at perceived gender reveals significant differences in how sportswear and fashion brands construct their visual identities. Sports brands predominantly featured people perceived as male: Puma (90%), Under Armour (87%), Tommy Hilfiger (78%) and Adidas (76%). Fashion and luxury labels, by contrast, predominantly featured people perceived as female: H&M (100%), Zara (96%), Louis Vuitton (78%) and Hermès (68%).

Across all 1,063 people analysed, 52% were perceived as male and 48% as female – a distribution that appears relatively balanced at first glance. However, a brand-by-brand analysis reveals substantial disparities. Sports brands in particular predominantly feature people perceived as male.

Age, plus-size bodies and body hair: three characteristics that are barely visible

While the representation of people perceived as non-white and the gender distribution vary considerably between brands, three characteristics show a remarkably consistent pattern across the entire sample:

• Plus-size: Of the 20 brands analysed, only one – Levi’s – featured a person who was visibly plus-size in the 20 posts examined. None of the other 19 brands featured a single visibly plus-size person. Overall, this amounts to one person out of 1,063 featured – just 0.09%.
• Visibly older age: Of the 1,063 people featured, 31 – just under 3% – were perceived as visibly older. The highest proportions were found at Ralph Lauren (12%), Timberland (10%) and Louis Vuitton (10%). At Chanel, only one of the 58 people featured – just over 1% – was classified as visibly older.
• Body hair among people perceived as female (excluding head hair and eyebrows): No visible examples were identified in any of the 400 posts analysed – 0%.

These characteristics can only be assessed to a limited extent on the basis of photographs alone. Nevertheless, the fact that they are almost entirely absent across 400 posts from 20 different brands points to a systematic pattern.

“Images are never neutral. They convey social ideas about which bodies are considered natural, desirable and ‘normal’ – and which are pushed to the margins. Our analysis reveals two distinct developments. In the representation of people perceived as non-white and of different genders, the visual language of some brands has clearly become more inclusive – although we are not assessing who these people are, but rather how they are presented in the image – while other brands continue to show very little diversity. This reflects the continued influence of Eurocentric and colonial notions of beauty, which still position certain characteristics as the norm. When it comes to age, body shape and body hair, however, the picture is strikingly consistent across brands: the young, slim and hairless body continues to be reproduced as the norm. Just one person perceived as plus-size among more than a thousand people featured, very few visibly older people and no visible body hair demonstrate how narrow the boundaries remain around which bodies are considered worthy of being shown. As social media is one of the fashion industry’s most important showcases, these visual worlds shape perceptions of beauty and belonging far beyond fashion itself,” says Prof. Dr Jiré Gözen, Vice President for International Affairs and University Development and Professor of Media and Cultural Theory at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences.

About the analysis

For the analysis, the 20 most recent Instagram posts featuring at least one model from each of the following brands were examined: Adidas, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Gucci, H&M, Hermès, Hugo Boss, Jack Wolfskin, Lacoste, Levi’s, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Puma, Ralph Lauren, The North Face, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Under Armour, Versace and Zara.

The models were analysed according to the following categories: people perceived as non-white, gender, age, plus-size bodies and body hair other than head hair and eyebrows. These assessments were based solely on visual perception rather than on information provided by the individuals featured. The analysis therefore reflects how a person appears in a particular image, not how they identify themselves. The study did not assess whether all individuals shown were real models cast by the respective brands or whether any of the content had been digitally altered or generated.

About the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE)

The University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE) offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes as well as dual Bachelor’s and MBA programmes. UE has received institutional accreditation from the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) for the maximum period of ten years and holds system accreditation from FIBAA.

The university has twice received the German Education Award (Deutscher Bildungs-Award), while its practice-oriented dual study programmes have also been recognised among Germany’s “Best Providers of Dual Study Programmes” by STERN. UE is part of GUS Germany GmbH (GGG), a network of educational institutions with more than 18,000 students at locations across Germany, Europe and beyond. UE currently has around 7,800 students from 143 countries.