The plus size fashion industry has seemed to have forgotten one thing: variety. I took some photos to change that.
“I don't have any of the things they like to tag fat people as having… I was there because my feet had swollen up in the course of 24 hours… All he could tell me was to go home and lose weight!”
Fat-phobia in the plus size fashion/modeling industry is nothing new.
This injustice exists because of the general stereotype that being fat equals being unhealthy and at risk. For example, in a recent interview from Vice, Ariel Woodson explains her experience with body-related micro-aggressions,
“I don't have any of the things they like to tag fat people as having…I was there because my feet had swollen up in the course of 24 hours…All he could tell me was to go home and lose weight!” (Thompson, Pg 2).
Situations such as that show the unhealthy idea that one must be the “average” weight to be taken seriously, even with something as crucial as a doctor’s visit where facts of health are presented.
In regards to the plus-size fashion/modeling industry, body positivity has become a trend. Most mainstream stores considered plus-size friendly don’t go past a size 20, when just the AVERAGE American woman is a size 16 or 18. (Tali, Pg 1).
This injustice exists because there is a dominant viewpoint which embraces the idea of thin privilege and fat shaming.
The issue I wish to highlight in this industry is that the plus size people included in campaigns are—more often than not—white. Diversity is an important issue with this topic, not only for plus size women and femme presenting non-binaries, but also for men and masculine presenting non-binaries; as that side of body positivity is often overlooked.
To address this social injustice, I placed models in situations that magazines don’t usually choose plus size women for, and that was an attempt to change the viewpoint of plus size people in the media. Within the pictures, I painted positive statements on their bodies, meant to go against the stereotype of what is usually put upon us.
For example, I dressed up one of my models as a ballerina, with the words “My Body Is Graceful” painted across her arms. This statement was meant to go against the stereotype that ballerinas must be ‘dainty’ or they can’t possibly be such a graceful dancer.
Attached below is the full portfolio of my work with this project.
Mentioned Articles:
Tali, Didem. “The 'Average' Woman Is Now Size 16 Or 18. Why Do Retailers Keep Failing Her?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 Sept. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/didemtali/2016/09/30/the-average-woman-size/#71aab0d12791.
Thompson, Caroline. “Fat-Positive Activists Explain What It's Really Like to Be Fat.” Vice, Vice, 4 May 2017, www.vice.com/en_us/article/gvzx94/fat-positive-activists-explain-what-its-really-like-to-be-fat.
This post was completed within the Women and Gender Studies course at University of South Florida