Body image has been an increasingly hot topic within the fashion industry with people recognizing the need to be inclusive of all body types, but failing to realize that a woman (or man’s body for that matter) is not a topic that is up for discussion. According to The Fashion Spot, this past fashion week remained among the highs in terms of diversity while still showing room for growth. When compared to the last three fashion show seasons, fall 2020 saw the lowest representation of plus-size models. When you think of supermodels you think of Naomi, Christy, Heidi, Cindy, etc. Each beautiful, but not one of them plus-size.
Billie Eilish, the edgy, emo, Gen Z, anti-pop queen, has made quite the name for herself over the past year. She wins Grammys for sport and collects musical accolades like collecting stamps as a hobby. The now-18-year-old was set to coast on tour pre-pandemic to sell out stadiums worldwide and captivate crowds everywhere. In quarantine, she has released a new song here and there, but has chosen to largely remain out of the spotlight. Her style, which largely plays on hip hop culture, has been admired globally. Eilish has said in the past that she often wears loose-fitting clothes as a way to avert the gaze and criticism away from her body.
A woman’s body has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. Just last month, Eilish again became a topic of discussion for leaving the house in tight clothing, showing off the body of an average woman.
Lizzo is another example of an incredibly successful musician who is a victim of body-shaming. The difference between Billie and Lizzo is that Billie’s body-shamers become national news because it’s so infrequent whereas Lizzo receives criticism daily for her size. It became national news when celebrity personal trainer Jillian Michaels criticized Lizzo for being overweight and celebrating her body.
Lizzo has actually shown us how she often does exercise and eat healthily in moderation, and frankly, she wouldn’t be able to accomplish one of her performances if she wasn’t in good health. Lizzo was the first larger-sized, Black woman on the cover of Vogue in history just two months ago.
We’ve been brought up in a culture where women need to be thin to be pretty and where people who are fat are lazy, disgusting and ugly. You don’t need to be thin to be beautiful or healthy for that matter, and fashion brands need to continually acknowledge that heavy people exist and need to see themselves reflected in a brand’s presentation. Fashion simply does not cater enough to larger people. “Every woman deserves to dress her budget and feel like the clothes she wears match her achievements in all other aspects of life. Higher-end luxury options are sorely missing in Plus fashion,” says Jeff Cafone to Ravishly.
We’re lucky that as we guide through the crux of the social media age, as there are more criticisms and opinions floating around, we also have people promoting acceptance and positivity of all body shapes, skin colors and personalities. The relationship that a person has with their health is their own business. When it comes to fashion, we need to continue surpassing old standards of diversity and preaching body acceptance through representation.