Edited: 04/05/22 4:38 pm
According to the article, it is now so ubiquitous that messages about women’s self-esteem values have been placed beyond debate. The article focused on the self-confidence of women in society in general; I want to focus on the fashion industry. They have this “trend” where “confidence is the new sexy.” In which I do not buy because when it comes to the fashion industry, it is all about staying relevant trendy. The fashion industry plays a huge part in tearing down a model’s confidence and self-esteem. Clothing choices of individuals can reflect how they feel about themselves, or how they want others to feel about them (Kwon, 1991). Brands like Savage X Fenty hire ACTUAL plus sized models and have more than 3 body types on their website. The more options a brand has, the more it stands out. Offering more clothing sized options makes your customers happy, hence high self-confidence.
High end brands such as Louis V do not offer plus sized clothes. Their excuse can be, “factories often lack experience in making clothes of an extended size.” That is true but nonsense. Factory employees can be taught to make larger sized clothes just like how they are being taught to make smaller sized clothing.
When a model is forced to stop eating too much to fit the clothes, you never notice it in the beginning. Until that is instilled in their mind and their self-esteem begins to decrease. It can seem as though they have high confidence on the runway, but what about in reality? For a long time, the fashion industry has not given others any room to be themselves, to express who they are in what they wear. I am proud that more brands are promoting that each day.