Together let’s stop putting up with the media’s forced opinions of what is normal. The majority of America is tired of being misrepresented or not represented at all. Viola Davis gave us a mouthful at the Emmys, and this month Lane Bryant took the fashion industry by storm. This month the Plus is Equal campaign was launched to force designers, retailers, and the overall fashion industry to acknowledge curvy girls as normal. This is very similar to the Eff Your Beauty Standards campaign, created by Tess Holliday, fashion’s first supermodel. After ignoring so many hateful comments about her weight from trolls on Instagram and Twitter, Tess reacted by posting a picture of herself in a swimsuit with the hashtag “eff your standards” in the caption.
Plus is Equal and Eff Your Beauty Standards have the same focus and overall tone, which is that curvy girls, big girls, plus-size girls, fat girls, or whatever you want to call us are demanding the same respect as small and petite women. So what if we have extra cushion and a lot of curves? We want as many options in Nordstrom as women who wear a size two or five. We want curvy models to walk down runways for Alexander McQueen. We want women with wide hips, big butts, and a little extra in the tummy to have visibility in Vogue just as much as the “standard” model. We’re not trying to replace smaller women, but we do want to have a presence alongside them.
Why are curvy women categorized and treated like a burden by fashion designers? Are you guys really that cheap that you won’t invest in extra fabric or material to support our beautiful bodies? How dare you make us feel inferior because we have voluptuous thighs and legs! People always seem perplexed whenever a curvy woman enters the room confidently with her head held high, making sure her crown doesn’t fall off her head. I’ve even been judged for wearing particular outfits because “a girl your size shouldn’t wear that.” Why not? It’s not too small and the outfit looks good on me. It’s hugging my curves in all the right places. Are you intimidated because you’re not used to a big girl looking so fly? This is why Plus is Equal was created and this is why it’s a special campaign to me. It’s more than just another hashtag on Twitter or another fad. It’s personal because Lane Bryant is taking a stand for women like me. 67% of females are between a size 14 and 34 , so why does the media portray us as the minority in fashion and entertainment?
You can combat the Plus is Equal movement by saying that women like me should lose weight. Yes, I agree, everyone should live a healthy life no matter what they’re weight is but some women were just created curvier. When I was in high school, people called girls like me big boned. I’m not sure what the proper term for full-figured women is but I do know that we’re like the ugly duckling of the fashion family. The time has come for the ugly duckling to transform into the beautiful swan that we were destined to become. Curvy isn’t ugly. Being skinny doesn’t make you superior. Plus size women are fed up, and we’re coming out of the shadows to retake the spotlight. We just want the same respect as other women. We want the same options in clothing as other women. We’re not whining and we’re not pouting, but we’re ready to be embraced. We’re ready to be equal.