When we hear the word "plus," we generalize it with the notion of "better" or "more than average". But, when we look at fashion, we consider this term to be less than average, to be something that is so far off average that it needs to be put in a separate category, with separate marketing strategies than normal. The question is, 'why do we do this?When did the thought about being plus size turn out to be so negative?'
Now, I've never been considered a plus-size figure, but then again, I've never been a girl that wore 00 Abercrombie jeans in high school. I was never the girl who people wished they had my figure. Generally, I'm known as the girl that's tall, but not too tall, thin, but not too thin, and a good complexion, but not 100 percent of the time. I've spent my life consumed by constant ads for women who are wearing a size 2 dress, whereas half of my family would never fall under that category. Am I ashamed of that? No. What I am ashamed of, is the way that our own marketing in the U.S. portrays women these days.
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There are very few clothing companies out there that do not alter the image of what a woman should look like. You see Victoria's Secret models strutting the runway, wearing barely anything and looking flawless while doing it. Though I love the ideals of what Victoria's Secret backs as well as their products, they modeled a campaign called "The Perfect 'Body'", starring all of their most gorgeous models (who all happened to have below average waist sizes). In actuality, is this really what we should aspire to? In today's day and age, it is more popular for a child to go buy a blonde Barbie at Toys R Us, rather than to pick up anything else, for that is the toy to aspire to become in real life--the glamorous, carefree girl that everybody wants to be.
So, with that notion, I did a little research. I found that there are less than a handful of major clothing brands that live up to the belief that it isn't a necessary marketing tool to photoshop your models.
Here are some of them:
1. Modcloth
Made for the indie, vintage, and retro woman, Modcloth was the first major clothing brand to not photoshop their models. The company has made various statements on how they strive to advocate for all body times, since that is what our world is made up of.
2. Aerie
Surprised, huh? Yeah, me too. This big-time company has partnered with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) to advocate to the younger generation and to educate youth across the world about serious mental health issues caused by what we see in magazines, billboards, TV, and just in everyday life. They have made a statement in the recent past that they do not retouch any of their promotional photos. Hats off to you, Aerie.
3. Seventeen Magazine
Though this is not a clothing brand, it is a widely influential magazine that touches the hearts of millions of teenagers nationwide. The brand vowed to "go natural" within their Body Peace Treaty in 2012, saying that they have not, and will not alter or change the body types or faces of individuals within their editorial spreads.
4. Dear Kate
This rocking company decided to act upon Victoria's Secret's "The Perfect 'Body'" campaign by writing a press release to them, saying, "Through this photo, we showcase women who are often neglected by the media and traditional retailers. We show the multitude of shapes perfect bodies can take.” The photo that they took with some of their models captured the same poses as the Victoria's Secret models, yet captured the true essence of womanhood and showed what "true beauty" looks like.
5. Dove
Now, I give some major props to this company. This multi-million dollar corporation created the ad campaign a few years back entitled, The Real Beauty Campaign. Similar to what Dear Kate did with their "True Body" campaign, Dove actually put their models in front of the big screen, giving them more coverage than ever.
Next time you're shopping through a store and you notice that all of their promotional models are a size 00, picture how the actual piece of clothing might look if it was portrayed on a body that represented the other 90 percent of the nation's women.
