12BODY
POSITIVE BRANDS
BREAKING BOUNDARIES IN 2017
It ’ s 2017 … we ’ ve got the internet , we can shop with merchants around the globe and share ideas like never before . It ’ s an amazing time to be alive !
But sadly , we still have a long way to go in terms of fashion . Because despite plus size individuals being willing and eager to hand over their hard-earned dollars to retailers , many brands :
• Still want to pretend that it ’ s too hard to make plus size clothing ;
• Use straight sized models to sell plus size clothing ;
• Refuse to replicate fashionable , ontrend designs in plus sizes ; or
• Blatantly claim that there ’ s just no demand for plus size clothing .
And of the brands who do carry plus sizes , unfortunately some of them have appropriated the mainstream representation of the body positive movement for their own financial gain ( without truly understanding their customers or actually even catering to them ). For many brands , it ’ s all about appearing to be diverse to win points with their thinner customers who want to feel like allies - rather than actually including plus size bodies . That ain ’ t cool .
For example , Victoria ’ s Secret ’ s # Perfect- Body campaign and Dove ’ s decade-spanning # RealBeauty campaigns ( and their gratuitous use of the phrase “ real women ” to make it look like they ’ re not perpetrating exclusivity and marginalisation — I ’ m not buying it !) have gotten it so very wrong . Similarly , brands such as Aerie Real are frequently co-opting the language of diversity and inclusivity but despite this , one look at their social media or website or in-person stores reveal “ acceptably ” curvy , able-bodied white women , with sizing not even venturing into the plus sizes .
Thankfully , there are some truly inclusive fashion brands making a name for themselves .
First up , the bad news : Most of the truly inclusive , body positive brands aren ’ t Australian .
Unfortunately , the bulk of Aussie brands are truly awful at catering to plus size bodies , even though the demand is there . In most Australian stores , you ’ ll have no issue finding clothing if you ’ re between sizes 4 and 12 . Some stores carry up to a 16-18 , but the range is usually limited to a handful of pieces and if you ’ re shopping in-store , the plus size section is often waaaaaay at the back of the store , hidden away .
And , sadly , Australian sizing is wildly inconsistent . A 2014 Fairfax Media analysis of 65 brands found that measurements for the bust can vary by 9 centimetres , the waist can vary by 12 centimetres , and the hips can vary by up to a whopping 14 centimetres . Adding to that , an Australian national sizing standard for women ’ s clothing was scrapped in 2008 , leaving us with widespread vanity sizing ( the very dodgy practice of altering the standard fit of a garment in order to appeal to or ‘ flatter ’ the customers ’ ego ). Vanity sizing means that in one store , you could be a size 8 and in another store you could be a size 12 - but which one is right ?
It ’ s hard to say . It ’ s a marketing ploy designed to make women feel good about themselves in Store A where they fit into the smaller sizes of clothing and devastated in Store B where they don ’ t fit into the same sizes , leading them to return to Store A . Unfortunately , vanity sizing inherently plays into ideas deeply rooted in fatphobia , wherein smaller sizes are deemed more desirable and larger sizes are deemed as “ bad ”. With that view , we start to see why designers and retailers aren ’ t stocking plus sizes :
a . They think that customers don ’ t want to see bigger sizes ; b . They want to protect their brand reputation and the lifestyle aesthetic that they ’ ve built around the brand , rooted in Eurocentric , thin-centric ideals ; and c . They ’ re fools , and don ’ t seem to realise that there are plenty of plus sized