The Impact of Plus Sized Models in the Fashion Industry

Contributor: Kirsten Haglund, Community Relations Representative for Timberline Knolls and Founder and President of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation

According to research done by plus-size retailer Simply Be, 77 percent of people “believe size 0 models should be banned from catwalks because they promote an unhealthy body image [1].” Of course, that view might be extreme since there are definitely women who are naturally a size zero (though they are the minority).

But it shows that people want to see models that more accurately reflect the body shape and size diversity found in the human population. Additionally, a study from Warwick Business School found that ads with very thin women presented in a highly idealized way put off women from shopping [2].

It is clear that attitudes about fashion and shape and size diversity are changing, and the increasing presence and activism of plus-size models in the industry is driving a grassroots revolution.

Proliferation and Impact of Images

But why is a revolution necessary? Mostly because the fashion industry plays a very big part in the creation of society’s construct of female beauty. Not only do unrealistically thin models promote a dangerous beauty ideal for the millions of women that aspire to emulate them (or simply walk by advertisements featuring them), but also present harsh standards for the models themselves.

For decades, the fashion industry has claimed that it simply costs less to clothe thinner models – which may be true – but with plus-size clothing in demand more than ever and increasingly lucrative, this argument is losing credibility. One needs only to look at the phenomenal business success of Aerie (which features a variety of shapes and sizes among its models and does no retouching of photos), plus-size model Iskra Lawrence and Sports Illustrated cover model Ashley Graham for proof.

The images a society presents, especially to its young women, matter. What is ideal? That is a question too long answered by one representation of female beauty, to the exclusion of millions of women who don’t fit in to that arbitrary categorization.

Change in Body Ideals and Increasing Diversity

The average American woman is 5 foot 4 inches, about 140 pounds and is typically size 12-14. It is therefore a perfectly normal question to ask: why aren’t models of this size, and frankly a range of sizes, more prevalent on catwalks, in advertisements and magazines? Thankfully, consumers have been demanding diversity of size, shape, color, ethnicity, physical ability, and much more for some time now.

Certain companies have been responding, to much praise. It’s been a long time coming, since supermodel Emme was the first plus-size model to grace the cover as one of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful in 1994. Fat shaming is now routinely criticized on social media and in the mainstream media. Ashley Graham was awarded the coveted spot on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Lane Bryant ads cover buses throughout New York City. There is still a long way to go, but attitudes and ideals are definitely changing.

Present Challenges

Even with all of the positive change, there is still a lot of work to do, primarily against the viewpoint that the proliferation of plus-sized models promotes being overweight or obese. Again, how does featuring models the size of the average American woman (who is of a normal BMI, by the way), promote obesity? Additionally, featuring a variety of shapes and sizes among models only promotes a healthier and more accepting view of ourselves and others; and who doesn’t want that?

Another challenge for these models is that they are increasingly only booked for plus-sized campaigns, with other similarly shaped models. Models of various sizes are still rarely featured together. During this year’s London Fashion Week, plus-sized and disabled models protested, declaring all sizes and shapes are beautiful and should be featured on catwalks. A further challenge is to fight the “plus-sized” label all together. Why can’t they all just be models? Just like we are all just women?

In the end, the fashion industry and images it produces are not going to change unless customers demand it. That means we have to vote with our feet and our credit cards. We can share on social media the great work of these models promoting change in the industry and we can talk about the positive changes with family and friends. But at the end of the day, we need to stop buying the magazines, the clothing, and the products that promote unhealthy body standards.

We can start buying from the retailers that promote our values. In order to win the battle for body and beauty inclusivity we must help those in the fight by showing the establishment that kindness can be profitable. Beauty is not defined by designers, editors and ad agencies. It is defined by us. Let’s make sure we act like it.

Community Discussion – Share Your Thoughts Here!

What are your thoughts about body diversity in the fashion industry?

About the author: Kirsten Haglund continues to work as an advocate for greater awareness of eating disorders and resources for care. Since she won the crown of Miss America 2008, she has spoken on numerous college campuses, worked with youth and church groups domestically and abroad, lobbied Congress with the Eating Disorders Coalition, and started her own non-profit, the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, to raise funds and assist families financially in seeking treatment for eating disorders. She is also the Community Relations Specialist for Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.

References:
[1]: (https://www.yahoo.com/style/plus-size-models-stage-lfw-size-protest-171422336.html).
[2]: (http://www.wbs.ac.uk/news/skinny-models-a-turn-off-for-real-women/)

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on October 2, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com