Zendaya has always been fashion forward and forward thinking, which is part of the reason she has so much appeal to people of various age groups, ethnicities, and genders. She recently had a show to debut her fashion line and made the decision to feature all black women of various sizes and ages walk in the show. Although they were all black, they were extremely diverse, which made it incredible to see. Her new line is clearly heavily inspired by the 1970’s and has a Motown feel. It was powerful to see black women modeling clothes that were inspired by black people, and women in particular, of that time period. Inclusive shows such as these help redefine the “typical”, often detrimental, beauty standards for women.
As a young woman of color that teeters between plus size and “normal size”, I found it so refreshing to see this. Although there are many companies that primarily cater to plus sized women, I found Zendaya’s show to be so amazing because she included people of all sizes, rather than just one type. Everyone was be able to identify with one of the models and see what their body type may look like in her clothes. Zendaya made a point to be inclusive by having sizes ranging from 0 to 24, and takes pride in showing various body types and sizes.
Only having all black models walk the runway was a powerful feature. Although I’ve seen a small amount of backlash for Zendaya trying to be inclusive, yet being essentially exclusive, I found it very intentional and beautiful. Women of color, and especially black women, are regularly disregarded in the media and fashion industry, unless it involves appropriation. I thought only including black women sent the message that black women are beautiful and it was Zendaya’s way to use her influence to create more understanding and respect for the black community, and black women in particular.
message that black women are beautiful and it was Zendaya’s way to use her influence to create more understanding and respect for the black community, and black women in particular.
She also included women that varied in age, ranging from 18 to 70. This kind of representation is not often seen in mainstream media and highlighted that beauty comes in many sizes and ages. The show was particularly impactful because there was not a sense of tokenism that is often seen in other fashion productions. Oftentimes there is the token black girl or token big girl, but this show represented these women equally and with love, and not because it was an obligation or expectation of having diversity.
The fashion line’s website even features both plus size and “normal size” models that are all black women. Zendaya has shown she is forward thinking and cares about the black community and body positivity, which is really amazing because of her mixed race background, light skin and thin physique, all of which would give her “privilege”. Yet rather than merely accepting her privilege and ignoring issues in our society, she sees the issues, then uses her privilege to improve societal perceptions of what equality and beauty are. I did not know what to expect from her fashion line, but it exceeded my expectations. Not only are the clothes cute and fashion forward, the release of the line sent a distinct and powerful message of inclusion and diversity, while redefining beauty expectations for women
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Getty Images