The fashion industry is notorious for promoting size standards that might make some people feel like certain clothes will look bad on them. In fact, some might even feel so pressured by society's idea of beauty and style that they don’t even try them out.
Body standards still remain a delicate issue, sparking heated debates across social media platforms. While many of us know the pervasive and damaging effects harmful beauty ideals have on mental health and well-being, some media consumers — particularly young impressionable girls — may not realize it.
"While no one is immune, adolescent girls’ brains are more malleable," Kara Lissy, LCSW, a psychotherapist at A Good Place Therapy, told Glamour. "They cannot yet think as critically as adults in terms of assessing what information is harmful or helpful, let alone who is controlling that information and if it’s even true."
"We are bombarded with images of women’s bodies throughout the day on social media, and the cultural obsession with female bodies is a money-maker for these platforms," Carrie Wasterlain, LCSW, director at young adult mental health treatment program The Dorm NYC, added. "The fact remains that we are still spending a massive amount of time discussing women’s bodies and what size they should be." Well, quite frankly, that needs to change.
For decades, major retailers have generally catered to the slim consumer even as the world has gotten more diverse — so no wonder now shoppers are pushing back. People are turning away from stores that fail to include all bodies and demand various chains to carry a wider range of sizes. Right now, consumers are more vocal than ever before, and the industry is starting to listen.
Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing told Vogue that fashion has been stuck in its own stereotype of what is elegant and cool for so long. "We made women feel that, if their bodies weren’t a certain way, they needed to hide themselves. But that’s wrong."
"We have to thank social media for pointing this out — the community of the world saying to the fashion industry: Get out of your bubble. Or else."
Thankfully, the body is slowly regaining its power. The body-pride movement keeps on getting stronger, with people of all shapes and sizes challenging unattainable beauty standards, speaking up about their experiences, and showing that stylish looks can be seen on all kinds of physiques.
These three women in the pictures are here to prove that nothing should be off-limits. There might be items in the series that restrictive beauty ideals say certain folks can’t wear, but the trio doesn’t care.
From casual tops to cocktail dresses and classic two-piece suits, each woman rocks their given outfit and demonstrates that your figure does not have to dictate your wardrobe. Or, rather, that it’s not size, but style that really matters. So continue scrolling to enjoy the rest of this list, and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!
