It seems that there has always been a misconception of what fashion really is and who fashion is for. When I was younger I always felt as if fashion was this untouchable realm reserved only for the super skinny and the extremely wealthy but as I got older I came to realize that this could not be further from the truth.
What most people do not understand is that anyone can be fashionable. Anyone can put an outfit together and have it be wholly unique and wholly their own style. It is not necessary to fit a certain body type or a certain economic sector.
In today’s society we face a lot of pressure to fit certain expectations-expectations put in place by the models that grace the cover of Vogue, Marie Claire, and other fashion magazines. The diets of the women who walk the Valentino and Marc Jacobs runways have become our gospel. We walk past the glass cases in the high end sections of department stores and silently sob over the quadruple figures that mark almost every product. We are so enthralled with the untouchable world of high-end fashion that we forget what fashion truly is.
So, what is fashion? Fashion, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is a popular way of dressing during a particular time or among a particular group of people. I, however, view fashion as wearing something that makes you feel confident and stylish. In my eyes the only requirement is a sense of self confidence.
In a superficial world, confidence may be hard to find within ourselves. It is hard to feel good about our wide hips and not-so perky boobs in a world of Photoshop retouching and Victoria’s Secret Angels. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel of apparent perfection, and that light is body positivity.
Body positivity is a recent movement and way of thinking that encourages everyone to be happy with their bodies, not just size two underwear models. Body positivity has been embraced by celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Winslet, and even the Queen B herself, Beyoncé.
Thankfully, even high fashion has started to embrace body positivity and the image of the “everyday woman”. In the most recent New York Fashion Week, designer Zana Bayne and the line Chromat featured plus-size models. Both of these lines featured curvier women mixed in with a variety of models that spanned all shapes and sizes in order to refrain from distinguishing them by size.
Some of my personal favorite plus-size models include Gia Genevieve (Pictured above walking the Zana Bayne runway) and Robyn Lawley. Both these women act as positive role models for women and help ensure that all women can eventually feel confident in their own skin.
You can keep up with both Robyn (Pictured above) and Gia on their twitters:
Written By: Gabriella Crespo
2 comments:
Love Robyn's suit and the writer's assertion that fashion is for every body and every budget. Life is too short not to have fun with your look.
I love this article! It really hit home and the writing is stellar!!
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