Embracing Different Shapes of Plus Size Models in the Fashion Industry

Being plus size is something I had to deal with growing up. I used to be really thin when I was seven or eight years old. One day, I fell ill and certain medications made me gain weight drastically and a lot. Ever since, I grew up wearing boys or men’s clothes. Usually hand me downs. I was made to be ashamed of myself for my weight and size. 

Curves and cellulites aren’t appreciated or welcomed by society especially in Malaysia. My friends or schoolmates were skinny and fit and wore colorful and pretty clothes. I, however, wore baggy men sweatpants and a baggy men’s shirt. I hid my face and body to be just left alone. Because words hurt and I was, after all, human with feelings.

Back then, plus size clothing weren’t really available because stereotypically being plus sized means lazy and binge eating. Plus size fashion that was available would have been expensive. Coming to Ireland made me feel more comfortable with my size and body. 

However, many plus size fashion industries still practices a wrongful tokenism when it comes to plus sizes. Typically one would find a size which would normally be the size they are but because the fashion is stitched or designed in a stereotypical way, some plus sized individuals would have to opt for a bigger size. 

The one thing that many fashion industries fail to realise is that plus size women are in many different shapes and sizes. Fashion industry needs to consider the fact that some women carry more flesh in their arms or hips, or bust etc. It’s never really a generic shape when it comes to plus size fashion.

In 2017, Glamour UK wrote on Ashley Graham’s take on the difference between size inclusivity and tokenism. In that article, Graham says that size inclusivity is not about one curvy model among a bigger group of “sample-size” models and calls it progress. 

Graham says that designers who fear making their shows look like tokenism if they include “curves on the runway” should consider to accept the fact that “there is not just one type of curvy model but there are multiple”.

By saying this, models with thickness in different parts of the body should be acknowledged when designing and showcasing through runway shows and magazines. It’s crucial to understand that magazines and fashion industries that fail to provide for different plus size models, could in turn affect the confidence of a woman to be the best they can be. 

In 2019, another article by Lindsay Schallon in Glamour UK, asked models, influencers, merchants, fashion or beauty editors, and more to state the problems of plus size clothing in the fashion industry.

Kyrsten Sinclair, model, said that “Sometimes I feel like I have to hide my personality to fit the stereotypes pushed onto plus women—we’re always happy in photos, never sexy or serious. My personal style is on the edgier side, and at times I find that I’m pushed away from it because some people in the industry don’t believe someone with my body type would dress that way.”

In December 2020, Ashley Graham posted a picture on Instagram and the caption said “It is no longer only the token curvy girl, but now an entire class of models of all shapes, races, sizes, and backgrounds [are] beginning to be embraced.” 

No women should be limited, discouraged and restricted from dressing the way they like that would only boost their confidence. Because let’s face it, a confident woman means a powerful woman and the world could use plenty more powerful women.

• body positivity
• models
• plus size