Today, I have a new blog post on From the Square about the presence of “real” bodies in recent body-positive fashion campaigns.
An estimated 67 percent of American women are considered plus size, but plus-size bodies only appear in 2 percent of media imagery, but, with every new body-positive campaign, we get a step closer to revealing real bodies in media.
For more on this trend, check out the post!
The #AerieREAL Spring 2019 Campaign. Photo: Aerie by Ali Mitton
I had the pleasure of traveling to Rome this spring to give a lecture on Temple University’s Rome campus. The Dean invited me to talk about my book, Fashioning Fat, and visit their vibrant campus in the heart of the Eternal City. It was a whirlwind trip: meeting faculty and students, observing classes, and sightseeing, of course!
In preparation for my talk, I contacted Italian sociologist Paolo Volonté for his take on the plus-size scene in Italy.
While the plus-size market is booming in the United States (and elsewhere around the globe) with sales totaling over $20 BILLION and a rate of sales growth double that of overall apparel, this is not the case in Italy:
The plus-size sector is well developed in Italy, but with less fashion contents than in the USA. Only at the upper level of the fashion pyramid are there plus-size fashion brands, such as Elena Mirò and Marina Rinaldi. They are producing rather classic collections for aged wealthy women. The rest of the market is populated by less influential local brands (e.g. C di Cannella, Lizalù) focused on designs that aim at concealing fat, rather than adding value to the fat body. Such brands as Lane Bryant, Anna Scholz or Karmacoma are missing in Italy… The consumers’ perception is similar to the one described in international literature: that the offer of plus-size clothing is not satisfying, very poor if compared to the fashion system.
Thanks, Paolo, for the insight!
Looking for a great summer read? Check out Fashioning Fat for an insider perspective of plus-size modeling.
Is there a “Doritos for Her” in the works? Speculation erupted after PepsiCo chief executive Indra Nooyi made the following comments during a recent interview with Freakonomics:
As you watch a lot of the young guys eat the chips, they love their Doritos, and they lick their fingers with great glee, and when they reach the bottom of the bag they pour the little broken pieces into their mouth, because they don’t want to lose that taste of the flavor, and the broken chips in the bottom. Women I think would love to do the same, but they don’t. They don’t like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don’t lick their fingers generously and they don’t like to pour the little broken pieces and the flavor into their mouth. [We ask:] ‘Are there snacks for women that can be designed and packaged differently?’ And yes, we are looking at it, and we’re getting ready to launch a bunch of them soon. For women, low-crunch, the full taste profile, not have so much of the flavor stick on the fingers, and how can you put it in a purse?
After a twitter storm of criticism, Doritos responded with this tweet:
If the company were to make “Lady Doritos,” it would be another example of an unnecessarily gendered product (remember the infamous “Bic Pens for Her”?) that reinforces stereotypes about women, namely that they should be quiet, clean, and dainty.
Even the notion that the packaging should be changed so that it can fit inside a woman’s purse plays on dominant cultural messages involving women’s appearance and eating habits; women are taught to control their bodies and appetites. I can imagine women smuggling these itty-bitty packs of “Lady Doritos” in their purses. Good thing the chips are quieter so that they can stealthily snack away without drawing attention from the food police!
While on the topic of packaging, I must agree with CBS Philly’s Nicole Brewer. Can we do something about the loudness of the bag? [To see my comment to Brewer on the topic, check out the video here.]
The plan for gendered Doritos provoked ire on social media because consumers do not perceive Doritos as a product that is used differently by men and women and the differences highlighted by Nooyi seem quite trivializing and demeaning. Incidentally, many successful products “for her” cost more than their generic versions, a phenomenon known as the “pink tax.”
Instead of promoting these low-crunch snacks for women, I suggest PepsiCo market them for movie theatre goers and those who suffer from misophonia, a condition in which certain sounds like chewing trigger a strong reaction in the listener. For the sake of all humankind, not just women, give us a quieter chip. PepsiCo, be a part of the solution to combat sound pollution.*
*Please read this revolutionary call with a tongue in cheek tone. Personally, I enjoy a crunchy snack #getyourcrunchon
I was honored to serve on the advisory committee for a new exhibition at The Museum at FIT, The Body: Fashion and Physique. This exhibit explores the complex history of the “ideal” fashion body and the variety of body shapes that have been considered fashionable from the 18th century to the present. There are a number of historically and culturally significant pieces in the collection, including the gorgeous Christian Siriano gown Leslie Jones wore to the Hollywood premiere of Ghostbusters. What a thrill to see the craftsmanship up close and in person!
While working on this project, I was struck by the recurring theme of how fashion attempts to control the body, e.g., the 18th century stays (now referred to as corsets) has transformed into the 21st century waist trainer. While gazing at the pieces (which includes a child’s corset and rubber girdle!), I thought about the role of the body in fashion. How many times do we try to fit our bodies into fashions instead of changing fashions to fit our bodies? Fortunately, we see more designers attempt to address this question by diversifying fashion, certainly in the plus-size sector and most recently in innovative designers like Lucy Jones and Grace Jun who strive to make style accessible to people of all abilities.
I want to hear your thoughts on the body in fashion. How does fashion serve your body? Leave me a comment, and I hope you get a chance to see the exhibit.
For more on this amazing collection, head over to the exhibition website. As the curator, Emma McClendon, describes:
The Museum at FIT presents The Body: Fashion and Physique, an exhibition that examines the complex history of the “ideal” body in fashion and considers the relationship between the fashion industry and body politics from the 18th century to the present. The Body features more than 50 objects from the museum’s permanent collection, many of which have never been on view. Within the exhibition, garments are supplemented with images from the popular press, fashion media, film, and other sources to highlight how the fashion industry has contributed to the marginalization of certain body types within our culture.
Fashion is inextricably linked to the physical form of the wearer. The cut of a garment draws the eye to zones of the body, simultaneously accentuating and concealing in order to achieve a desired silhouette. Elaborate undergarments, diet regimens, exercise routines, and plastic surgery have all been promoted as tools for attaining the ideal fashion figure. However, the fashionable body is a cultural construct that has shifted and changed throughout history to emphasize different shapes and proportions.
The exhibit is free and open to the public until May 5, 2018. If you are in New York City, check it out!
Amanda M. Czerniawski 