Whether you follow the fashion world or not there is no denying that 2017 was the year of the full-figured woman. From NYFW to Project RUNWAY plus size curvy women owned the media in one of the most tangible ways in recent history.
Written By: Malia O.
Photos by: Ricardo Andre Studios
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Major fashion brands have began to embrace the entire spectrum of bodies of their consumers and have showcased their love for a variety of shapes an sizes which has proven to be profitable.
Although brands are releasing Plus and Curve divisions for their clothing lines, advertising still seems to miss the mark in regards to representing the women who patron them and to be honest the plus size community wants to know why.Why claim to celebrate body diversity and only present one type of plus and curvy body as your brand rep? If the goal is make money, then companies should look into truly diversify their marketing strategies. The plus size industry is a multibillion dollar industry that continues to be ignored because people are
afraid to wholly embrace the full-figured woman.
afraid to wholly embrace the full-figured woman.
Much like the dating world, shopping—when you’re plus size feels like you’re a dirty little secret. Often times department stores relegate the “Woman” or “Plus” sections to basements or suffocated between the maternity and shoe clearance. There has been numerous body positive and size inclusive campaigns in the past year and a record-breaking number of curve models strutting the NYFW, but we need to see this become the regular. There is still a vast disconnect in representing women in a real way. In all things, representation matters. It encourages consumers to see themselves reflected in the environments they frequent and fashion and media are no exceptions. It’s hard to ignore the lack of representation when the full-figured woman should be considered the rule and not the exception. According to a study conducted in 2016 by the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education 67% of women range from sizes 14 and up with the “average” woman being a size 16.
So pardon the plus community for not being impressed with seeing the same 3-5 women as the umbrella for all full figures. The lack of diversity in body type, shape, height, ableism and ethnicity is a disservice to all women. If inclusivity and diversity are the true motivation for these brands, there is still a lot of work to be done on a mainstream end and while they’re gathering themselves we’ll continue to love our bodies and the full-figured brands that truly love us.
