By Luqian Li
I don’t like body positivity.
People who know me in real life might gasp at the sound of this statement, surprised that I, a larger individual, would make such a comment.
As a bigger girl, I should be thankful for the body positivity movement.
True, it has taught me how to stay confident and how to appreciate my own body. But in recent years, the movement has strayed away from its original intention. The fashion industry is turning it into a publicity stunt, creating more “body ideals” and sucking in millions in revenue.
As body positivity’s momentum grew over the years, more and more companies saw this trending movement as a business opportunity. They brand themselves as “body positive,” putting plus-size models on the posters for their new clothing line, yet the actual sizes in stores only go up to XXL.
It’s unanimously agreed that the fashion industry is the most prominent contributor to modern beauty standards. From Coco Chanel popularizing tanning to Victoria’s Secret models defining what beauty meant, countless women tried to fit themselves into the same shell the industry provided for everybody.
With the aid of body positivity, toxic beauty standards seemingly faded into fashion history. But as people say, “fashion is a circle.” While vintage aesthetics are making a comeback, the infamous “heroin chic” body ideal is also sneaking its way back onto major runways.
The Miu Miu spring 2023 show had models displaying tiny tops and the brand’s famous micro-mini skirts. These thin models are a rather sharp turn from the “slim-thick” models that have been popular.
In an interview with The New York Post, Hunter Shires says that the “high-fashion runway [is] putting skimpy clothes on the runway for…scrawny…women [again]” and predicts that it will swiftly trickle over to fast-fashion brands. Quicker than most people realize, the racks in malls meant for the public will only be filled with clothes designed for size 00s once again.
Sadly, the El Chapo fashion isn’t the only offender. Despite the efforts of advocates, the plus-size model industry has spawned its own beauty standards. In an interview, the famous plus-size singer Lizzo states that the women posting under the body positivity hashtags are generally “smaller framed” and “curvier.” Most of these pictures are also of women of Caucasian descent. With fatphobia’s racist origin, this isn’t a good look for the movement. Lizzo then states, “What I don’t like is how the people this term was created for are not benefiting from it…Girls who are in the 18-plus club.” Even in the plus-size model community, the toxicity of being “acceptable” remains.
Do I like body positivity? The answer is a paradoxical yes. I love the idea but hate some of its poor executions and the commercialization of it. A movement that urges everyone to stay true to themselves should not be exploited like this.
I wish there would be a day when the fashion industry truly embraces body positivity, where there are styles and designers for sizes 000 to 20, and various body sizes to represent the runway.
References
Bland, T. (2021, June 19). I agree with Lizzo, body positivity has become commercialized. The Daily Aztec. https://thedailyaztec.com/105093/opinion/i-agree-with-lizzo-body-positivity-has-become-commercialized/
Diaz, A. (2022, November 4). Bye-bye booty: Heroin chic is back. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2022/11/02/heroin-chic-is-back-and-curvy-bodies-big-butts-are-out/
