Anybody who knows me knows I love fashion. However, I have to be honest, right now, fashion needs a good punch in the face. My friend was sending me images of a model who was being considered plus-size. We spoke about it, outraged and both asked ourselves what on earth is going on in the fashion world? At this point I would just like to say that this model was either an absolute bloody liar when it came to telling the brand her size, or she was photoshopped to the end of the earth orrr the plus-size range is a lie. I’m generally a size 10 and stick to that when shopping online, yet this model looked around my size, if not smaller, and we were supposed to be convinced she was a plus-size 16. Now, we all know I have strong opinions on the whole body image topic anyway, but this was just an absolute joke. I got my laptop out and I began looking up plus-size clothing on many websites, some were fine, but some did nothing less than fill me with rage. Yes, this model was gorgeous, but she should not be considered plus-size. Model material? Yes. Model material for the plus-size range? Absolutely not.
And before people start defending teeny tiny “plus size” models with the old ‘You shouldn’t be promoting an unhealthy/overweight lifestyle’ HOLD UP, PEOPLE. I’m a size 10, apple shaped woman and the model looked smaller than me in many areas. Am I obese? Am I trying to promote an unhealthy/overweight lifestyle? Would my size ten clothes fall into an unhealthy category that should be hidden away so people won’t start to consider it sexy or fashionable? No, I’ve just got a bit of carb collection in certain places AND THIS IS NORMAL BECAUSE MILLIONS OF OTHER WOMEN DO TOO.
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t be considered petite, I do have plenty of curves. I recently waited days for a top to arrive to discover that my boobs don’t even fit into it, I also bought a pair of shorts that will probably only comfortably fit one of my thighs. It was such a struggle to do the shorts up and when I finally did I had to undo them because I was afraid of them like squashing my organs or something. No joke, I actually panicked because they were so tight. So, because of this, would I be considered plus-size? Just because my curves wouldn’t squeeze into a size ten pair of shorts?
Have we not all realised by now that the world is crying out for models that look like the other half of the world’s women? Thin has made it’s stamp on the beauty world and now it is time to throw curves into the mix. I’m not asking for much, I just need them to have a belly that folds over when they sit down, I need leg cellulite that jiggles when they walk, I need shoulders that aren’t perfectly chiseled and I need a chin that has a few more hidden under it. We need something that so many people can relate to. We don’t need people looking at these images of slimmer women and thinking this is considered plus-size, because that would be dangerous. We need diversity, but real diversity, because there is not one version of beauty. Beauty is dancing around my room trying to squeeze into my size ten shorts, beauty is any clothes number above or below my own, beauty is petite and plus and everything in between, but beauty is not trying to hide what society sees as imperfection. How can we be expected to love our curves when they aren’t being glamourised as much as thinner frames?
How can curvier women purchase these clothes when they are being advertised on a smaller woman? And how can young women grow up with an accurate and healthy view of their body when they are questioning themselves and whether society sees them as a smaller or bigger built woman? Where does this leave the women between petite and plus-size? Size 8/10/12/14 are all such common sizes, so what bracket do we fall into? I look at these models and think ‘This is an absolute joke’ but some girls may not think that, some girls may think ‘Oh my god, I’m bigger than her, I didn’t even know I was plus-size’ or they may think ‘I’m much bigger than her, if she is plus-size then what am I?’ The answer? You are real. You are not a false fashion advertisement or a woman under the burden of society and it’s corrupt norms.
Clothes sizes are not reliable, my shorts proved that. I could be a size 10 in one shop on a Monday and a size 12 in another shop on a Tuesday, and to this day I still don’t know what bra size I actually am because it’s always changing so much. All I know is I do carry weight, parts of me are more jiggly than others, real plus-size women are just as sexy as the fake ones you see in magazines and on the internet, the fashion world makes me very annoyed at times and I’m going to have to buy another pair of those shorts and sew them both together because I’ve lost the bloody receipt!
