We all wear clothes, right. Wrong! A group of plus sized ladies including Hayley Hasselhoff have posed in their underwear to make a statement about fashion modelling. What do they want to say exactly? The signs they held during the protest were clearly asking where the ‘curves’ were. It is of course London fashion week and we cannot deny designers bias towards smaller framed women.
It has always been an issue but recently there is a growing movement towards the inclusion of size twelve and upwards in the most publicised runways. Many involved in the fashion/clothing industry choose to ignore such campaigns and continue to select female models who are thin to the point of looking painfully ill. Miss Hasselhoff and friends have their work cut out for them.
Other campaigners such as Tess Holliday and Danielle Vanier are rather curvy ladies on a mission. Each one has a strong social media following and their aim is to raise awareness of the existence of women who fall into the larger sized category. Danielle is pleased with some of the progress being made in this area and has been consulted by Marks and Spencer’s to assist with the clothing range they stock for size sixteen upwards.
The high street is one thing and M&S’s new range can only be positive but the more elite area of ‘haut couture’ is another thing – what we are seeing is a platform for the creators to display their hard work, expertise and originality and it is so far obvious that their choice of figure remains that of a skinnier woman. Should it be their choice how to go about selling their own work?
Many would argue that the fashion industry carries with it a responsibility to the public and in particular young women who observe and admire clothes and who would like to resemble those wearing them. The sad truth is that protruding ribs may appear more attractive to some than voluptuous curves. Why is this? Consider the coverage the models get from magazine covers, billboards and television – impressionable audiences see this as the norm or the desired look.
Although not a new debate or discussion, there was a breakthrough in France last May when a law was introduced stating that models should maintain a ‘healthy’ weight with a doctor’s Certificate. There is still a long way to go of course with the ‘Simply Be’ organised fashion show a significant development. The ladies who were part of this ranged in size from ten to twenty six. They then decided to take it outside and partially strip in the name of equality.
It seems obvious that all shapes and sizes should be represented however awareness of both sides of the spectrum is required. Anorexia nervosa is the cause of death for someone every 62 minutes but let’s not forget that people who are heavily overweight carry an increased risk of heart disease. Neither weight extremes should be promoted as healthy but it is our reality. Surely no-one should feel excluded. Runway revolution? It won’t be tomorrow.
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