Fashion is the most fierce and dangerous world someone could get into. When we think about fashion models, the first names we have are Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid… All beautiful models that have only one thing in common: size. There has never been a better time for body diversity in the modelling world than now. There is progress that needs to be made but today we can say that runways are no longer off limits to plus-sized models. Body diversity has been embraced and it is building its way up to the most famous retailers.
Ex- Italian Vogue editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani in 2011 took on the industry’s lack of body diversity with its so-called ‘plus-size issue’. It was the first time for Vogue to feature on the cover models like Tara Lynn and Candice Huffine. “Fashion has been always blamed as one of the culprits of anorexia, and our commitment is the proof that fashion is ready to get on the frontline and struggle against the disorder,” Sozzani said when promoting the issue.
Sample size seems to increase. With plus size models moving into hosting, branding and on the runways, there is no other way but for fashion to evolve. Body diversity was always seen as the enemy of the fashion world. We are too used to skinny models that when a curvy model tried to enter in fashion, we start judging her body and size. But now all we see is that curvy models are stealing the attention of the media. It took Candice Huffine 16 years in the industry before she could be the face on the cover of Elle.
Body diversity saw a marginal increase from the previous years. However, the most important message is that once we step off the scale and stop using the editing software, one thing represents true beauty: health. It is a quality that can come in women of nearly all sizes, which is why now more agencies are hiring plus sizes models. Being a plus size does not have to be confused with being overweight. It has been said that by representing body diversity, and so plus-sized consumers, the fashion industry is normalising obesity. Health before everything girls, please remember this… You can be a beautiful curvy model and still be healthy.
Okay, time to be honest here. How much time do we spend on Instagram, browsing all those perfect bodies and thinking: why am I not like them? The real truth is that fashion should have embraced body diversity ages ago because it could have saved the lives of many girls. What I want you to understand is that you need to love yourself the way you are. By saying that I do not mean ‘stop going to the gym’ or ‘stop eating healthy food’. Remember being healthy is rule number one. Who cares if your bum is not like Emily Ratajkowski! These fashion models and influencers have a crew of, dietologists, personal trainers and beauty guru that follow them every day. We are normal girls, and we need to learn how to accept ourselves.
Body Diversity in fashion changed the way we look at models, giving up to all those awful stereotypes. Fashion has still a long way to go, body diversity is not only reaching to the fashion world but also to the beauty space. After all, you do not need to a size 2 to promote a lipstick.
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