Gone are the days when body positivity in the fashion industry was just a buzzword. Now, it has become a game-changer, and its impact is worldwide. Many models are promoting the body-positive movement. Similarly, many brands have also geared up to promote body inclusivity in fashion.
In today’s article, we will examine brands that have won the hearts of their target audience by promoting body positivity. While some of these brands faced criticism in their initial stages, others had a successful promotional strategy. So, let’s jump straight onto the topic and get things started.
History Of Body Positivity
If you think that body diversity is a newly-emerged topic, you are highly mistaken. It all goes back to 1969, when a New York engineer, Bill Fabrey, discovered that his fat wife had been facing a lot of body shame. A few years earlier, he came across an article written by Lew Louderbach stating how his fatness led to unfairness by most people.
Not only did he make copies and distribute them among his circle, but he also collected some people. This group collectively formed the National Association to Aid Fat Americans, the longest-running fat rights organization in the world. Currently, the name has been shifted to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.
Then, a team of California feminists also became anxious about how fat people were treated. Eventually, they came up with the Fat Underground group. They began calling the Fat Underground issue Fat Liberation, but the purpose was the same—to stop body shaming and bring in more positivity.
People were highly motivated by the leadership emerging in civil rights across fat activism. Radical activists witnessed fat liberation related to other challenges of oppression. So, the whole body positivity thing goes back deeper into the past, where people have been expressing concerns about it across all sectors.
Promoting Body Positivity In The Fashion Industry: Who Are These Influencers?
The body-positivity movement brought more acceptance in fashion. But it would have never been possible without the people who initiated the change. Body inclusivity comes in a wide variety, not only about plus sizes or body shapes. Given below are a few popular fashion influencers who have made remarkable differences in the world.
Influencers promoting body shape and sizes…
In body-diverse representation, Jessamyn Stanley made a meaningful impression. She has a massive following of 400K people on Instagram who attend her specific yoga sessions. She was found saying in an IG post:
“Yoga isn’t just for one type of person. Right now, it’s only marketed toward thin, white, affluent people. That’s such a small percentage of who exists and it’s not the group of people who need yoga the most…”
Jessamyn also owns her digital yoga studio, The Underbelly Yoga, which has 59k Instagram followers. Teen Vogue, Yoga Journal, and even the New York Times have featured it.
Influencers being vocal about acne…
Fashion industry inclusivity is a lot more than addressing fatphobia or racism. Rocio Cervantes shows how addressing acne concerns also counts as a body diversity issue. Rocio eventually began her career as a makeup artist, but now she goes beyond the title and has become an influencer.
She shares her dissatisfaction with how Photoshop saved her when it came to hiding her acne. In several IG posts, she is seen using her makeup skills to draw stars on her blemishes.
The good news is that various brands have already started taking notice of these influencers and are doing their part to embrace more realistic images. Customers can share their real images as reviews without having to filter them.
What Are Some Body Positive Challenges The Fashion Industry Is Currently Facing?
Apart from sustainability and many other challenges, the world of fashion has another great issue to address: body inclusivity. Everyone has started talking about the impact of fashion on body diversity, which makes it even more important to discuss this urgently. Here are a few challenges the industry is currently facing:
Lack of diversity in body representation-
42% of fashion experts are of the opinion that the fashion industry is not diversified in terms of modeling. One can easily depict the lack of diversity in fashion products itself. For example, plus-sized clothing counts for only 21% of the entire U.S.A’s fashion market.
Another study by Coresigh describes that 31% of people feel that they cannot wear work outfits that truly define their gender. Bringing in more body-diverse models and employees will help curb this situation because the organization needs to believe in it.
Brands like Nordstrom have already started publishing complete demographic information that highlights underrepresented groups. These initiatives are likely to promote more body inclusivity in fashion.
Mainstream media having an impact-
By now, most of us have already thought of becoming slim and beautiful, as the media represents. From fashion industry models to celebs in the entertainment industry, there is a craze for hourglass figures. But why have our minds been fed in such a way?
In my opinion, the media channels have a bigger role to play. Social media can take up the bigger blame, but what about those influenced from a time when television and radio were the only mainstream media forms? The influence was still there, and to a great extent, right?
Along with other initiatives taken for diverse representation in fashion, certain responsibilities must be held by the media, too. It is high time for them to get over the ideal body type and, instead, promote all body shapes and sizes. A lot of influencers are already making an impact in embracing body positivity, and so should the media.
Unrealistic beauty standards captivating young minds…
If you aren’t fair, you are not beautiful. Or if you are bulky, there’s no way you’d fit into the world. Or if you have acne blemishes or hyperpigmentation on your face, you are not upto the mark of being beautiful. Who fixated on all this? Who set these unrealistic beauty standards?
The pressure to be “perfect” has always been fed to young minds. Schools, colleges, and peer pressure are all part of it. Unless these unrealistic beauty standards are not addressed properly, society, in general, will never be able to give up on body toxicity.
Not only are they objectifying in nature, but also dehumanizing. To address an individual solely on their external attributes or component parts makes absolutely no sense. And whoever is promoting such concepts shouldn’t continue to pose this threat to society.
So, What Does Body Positivity In The Fashion Industry Really Mean?
Loving your body is the initial benchmark when starting the journey. If someone is not too fond of their own skin, nothing can be done about it. It all boils down to the point that change comes from within. Setting standards and breaking stereotypes have never been easy. However, differences in society come as a result of consistent efforts.
Also, the overall hype of body inclusivity is to accomplish real change, not only in words. Acceptance is something of our own selves, not by unaccepting others in society. Demeaning comments or putting down someone’s morality is not how body positivity actually works- it’s a lot more than that.
The availability of plus-sized outfits, more diversely shaped swimwear, etc., could be a great starting point for it. It’s not like all brands have to do it. Only if some brands focus completely on plus-sized apparel might eventually work. This sort of progression needs encouragement from top-level fashion experts and brand chains.
The Bottom Line
The meaning of fashion is shifting from being mere entertainment to immortalizing the human body. And such a big threat to mankind must be immediately looked upon. Continuous discouragement will eventually feed the mind of people with decayed thoughts of how they aren’t good enough!
It must be the job of each one of us to impart awareness of acceptance to every individual. Let’s all unite towards the cause and stop passing on the trauma to the next generation. Instead of discussing how tall, how beautiful, and how slim, let’s discuss how virtuous, how skillful, and how grounded.
With this, it’s a wrap on this comprehensive guide. Do not forget to share your thoughts on this by commenting below. Thank you for reading!
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