Written: 22nd Feb 2010 | Last Updated: 22nd Feb 2010
You know what? I can’t actually believe we’re still having this argument in 2010. Yesterday, London knitwear designer Mark Fast put plus-size models on his runway (amongst skinnier girls). And the reaction? EEK! Fashionistas freaked, tabloids and blogs shrieked, broadsheets devoted columns to weighing the merits and social impact of female body sizes zero to sixteen.
Why is it always so shocking when bigger women model? Is it because the sight of flesh is repellent to skin-and-bone editors? Or because it’s revolutionary, flicking a finger at strict (no-cal) convention, releasing some refreshing reality with a new collection? Who determined that models should be so thin, anyway...couturiers that prefer their frowning strutters boyish?
For decades, since this argument reared its ugly head in the 60s (remember Twiggy?), designers have been defending their right to drape fabric on the slenderest of forms because “clothes look better” when the wearer is bump-less, that is, straight, with very few female attributes to take attention away from the line of the garments. But, in actuality, it’s technically harder to make something elegant, fitted and stylish for a woman with curves, and it takes more skill to tailor, so piecing together a collection for very straight up-and-down girls is just a piece of cake compared to stitching for what are regularly (and condescendingly) referred to as “real women”.
There was body size controversy at the latest New York Fashion Week, too, when one 16 year-old model was deemed too thin; another complained she was overlooked for the shows because at 50 kilograms she was deemed too big. Ridiculous? Yes, it is. All of it.
What designers, editors, fashionistas et al need to accept - FINALLY...PLEASE? - is that WOMEN COME IN ALL SIZES, and ALL SIZES ARE EQUAL and EVERY SIZE DESERVES THE BEST FROM THEM. Simply put, women are remarkable, and should be treated with respect.
Beauty should not be kept in a glass case with “Break if THIN!” stencilled on the outside!
Beautiful garments should be available to every woman who has the desire, confidence and chutzpah to dress with au courant flair. Fashion week garments might be high end, but they should not be THE END once you’re over 50 kilograms (or over 50 years of age, for that matter!).
But, are all women equal in the eyes of fashion? No, of course not. Some are simply more equal than others.
IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE - not a change that’s a passing flirtation, but an actual brave trend that takes the size/style curve up where it belongs.
To the TRUTH.
P.S. Here's a quote; feel free to laugh out loud:
"Mercedes Benz Fashion Week brings excitement, glamour and feelings of happiness to us all."
(Patricia Field)
