Learning to love myself has been a lifelong journey, and frankly one I am still on. From an early age my concept of beauty, value and worth were tangled with the concept of size. I’m not alone in a mission to untangle these concepts and weed out some of these toxic ideas. While I am still doing the hard work on myself to relearn and grow, I want to join with the chorus of other voices asking larger brands and corporations to truly shift their marketing images, phrases and ideas to show that all bodies are beautiful.
Have these movements literally reshaped fashion? Well, I think they are beginning to.
Brand actions speak louder than words. I find some brands touting their body and size inclusivity or using full-figured models for shoots might not actually carry a high volume of clothing for larger sizes. Sometimes these clothing lines are not sized correctly. Sometimes these brands only give an illusion of body positivity, while they don’t carry higher than a size 8.
There is this vibe that society pressured more brands to be inclusive, so now they are changing some marketing optics, but only because they have to.
Real change will begin when their board rooms look like ours — inclusive and diverse. More diverse body types working behind the scenes from models, designers, executives, and marketing agents will help further the movement of diverse body types.
Why Size Inclusivity Matters
Why am I so passionate about this? Social media has altered our lives so much by sharing only the highlight reel of life with a glowy filter. I’ve seen the harm this can do to young girls in my family who desperately want to alter their appearance to fit in. It’s scary to hear young girls talk about how they think they should look. But then I am reminded of how I wanted to be different at that age too.
It certainly didn’t help when I was younger only seeing women of one size and shape and color in the fashion industry. It didn’t help that in my 20s doing some modeling in Chicago there were photographers embracing different model types. Yet, behind-the-scenes editorial assistants duck-taped our legs and arms in front of the camera so we looked more “traditional.” Those moments stick with you.
I believe we are on the right path, but I hope fashion houses and larger retail corporations will continue to hear out those of all body types and sizes.
Dear fashion houses,
Create clothing for real, full-figured women.
Don’t just play along, really commit.
Actually carry clothing above size 8.
Know there are little girls watching, calculating their own worth.
Embrace this, as it is the future.
Body Positive Brands That I Love Right Now:
Athleta has done a great job of bridging working wear with athletic wear, while Anne Taylor is a long-time office classic for me. I love the unique pieces from Free People and Anthropologie. I just purchased jeans from G-Star and enjoy anything cozy and supportive I get from Soma.
Remi Bader is a blast to watch on TikTok with her “realistic hauls.” Her new collection Remi x Revolve launched this fall with applause. Ashley Graham is another must-follow as she proves beauty has absolutely nothing to do with size. Lizzo’s new partnership with Fabletics, a shapewear line, Yitty, is something to keep your eye on. So is Christian Seriano’s artistic eye for dressing celebrities of all sizes. Tommy Hilfiger’s latest show from NYFW is receiving acclaim in the body positivity world for truly understanding the assignment.
Check out the local boutiques we love across the community.
