What is plus size and why can’t the fashion industry handle it properly?
This is an area under debate at the moment and some people are clearly struggling with it. They know that plus sizes are popular and a hot topic of discussion and want to engage and comment on the plus size market. But what is “Plus Size”, what does it mean and how do we see it?
The words “Plus Size” are used to refer to clothes for larger people, there is a wide field of debate around what is considered large, where do you start? Size, 10, 12, 14 or 16?. So the debate is also associated with health issues, as many people consider older people to be automatically unhealthy (this is not true). The fashion industry is totally focused on how people look and older people are not on the radar of mainstream fashion. This is unfortunate as many people are larger than the models the fashion industry generally wears (so they are expected to buy clothes modeled on slimmer women). It is interesting that the fashion industry is associated with thinness, which in itself can also lead to health problems. It seems that people (both big and thin) slightly outside the “norm” are seen and treated differently although, interestingly, in certain circumstances, both are perceived as “unhealthy”.
However, these perceptions are being somewhat challenged because people are getting bigger and what used to be considered “plus size” is now much more common than ever before. Dress sizes have gotten larger over the years, but have remained labeled as previously known as “vanity sizes” to make customers feel good about themselves. Typically, fashion markets are driven by trendsetting designers. His work is an art form and is displayed artistically. Ready to wear on the street is inspired by these trends, although there are also designers who set their own trends for their market.
Ready to Wear is worn by much broader age and size groups than those shown on the Haute Couture Catwalks, and many of the trends seen on the catwalk don’t necessarily transfer well to the mainstream market. So while the “Plus Size” market may not be popular in the “media”, they do represent a good portion of people who buy clothes.
The term “Plus Size” is commonly used in the US, but is less common here in the UK. It’s a commonly used search term on Google, but it’s not really used that well here in the UK. The media really don’t know how to handle it and this was never clearer when we saw the cover of Vogue Italia from June 2011. It features 3 beautiful women photographed in lingerie. These women are plus size models and while it’s wonderful that Vogue featured them on their cover, it’s a shame they felt the need to photograph them semi-nude and with one of them in a slightly inappropriate pose.
Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani launched Vogue Curvy in February, and the June 2011 Vogue Italia cover was intended to help promote Vogue’s newfound affinity with plus-size women. It’s great that Sozzani launched Vogue Curvy, is she acknowledging this mainstream fashion that there are a lot of women who are curvy or plus size and demand that their fashion needs and desires be met? On an equally positive note, Sozzani is also campaigning against websites that actively promote anorexia, which the fashion industry has been blamed for fostering in the past. Well done to her for taking an active stance on this issue. Over time, perhaps the fashion media will focus on fashion and not on the size of the person wearing it. After all, everyone has the potential to be stylish and beautiful, regardless of their size.
“The Cut” blog also ran an article “No One Seems to Know What a Plus Size Model Really Is” and featured some quotes from Madeline Figueroa-Jones, editor-in-chief of Plus Model magazine. Interestingly, “The Cut” featured a photograph of one of the Plus Model magazine covers and of all the covers they could have chosen, they chose a cover with models in lingerie and posing provocatively. Plus Model Magazine has many covers featuring older women in beautiful clothes. So it was a shame that these two highly visited websites chose to cheapen plus-size women a bit by showing them in skimpy (albeit well-photographed) lingerie.
Both Vogue and The Cut could have chosen photographs that show plus size women in beautiful clothes and illustrate the fact that larger women can look just as fabulous as other women and that fashion should be about fashion and not body size. . Designers might also see the world slightly differently and, if they were brave, they might see curvy women as an opportunity to design curvy-flattering clothes and allow them to make a different, new fashion statement. At Vida Moda we say that curves are required to look good in clothes! It’s part of our mission to find beautiful clothes for older women that flatter them and make them feel and look amazing.
Vogue Italia June 2011 cover image courtesy of The NewsFeed and Vogue Italia
Designer Fashion Vida Moda Sizes 16-24 Elegant European plus size designer clothing collections for ladies Explore our online store for clothing for curvy women.