Trends in Body Image

From putting on corsets in the late nineteenth century to going on extreme diets in the twenty-first century, women have always felt the need to conform to the ideal body image. Society has perpetuated the stigma that a skinny, hourglass figure is always the ideal figure for women. Now, in the era of constant change, how much of that stereotype has actually changed? Taking a look at one of the most popular clothing brands at the moment, Brandy Melville, one can see how there is a constant pressure for women starting as young as in their teenage years, to achieve a slim body in order to fit into their one-size only clothing. Much debate has arisen over their sizing, which seemingly suits girls on the skinnier side. For this reason, girls rapidly losing weight in order to fit into their clothes is not uncommon. Losing weight can be done via healthy or unhealthy ways (binging and purging, going on healthy diets etc) but they all stem from the common mindset that one has to be skinny and fit into whichever body shape is trending (normally one that is skinny) Additionally, eating disorders have always been associated with mental health issues, adding to the negative effects of girls feeling compelled to follow trends in terms of body image. While there have been certain points in time that plus-size women were viewed as a sign of wealth and therefore was ideal, those were anomalies and only for fleeting periods of time in history. Being skinny has been inextricably linked to beauty. Being skinny has been a trend since 1600 BC, which was the period when corset-like clothing was invented and has been followed ever since. However, there has also been more representation for plus-sized girls as well, with brands hiring more plus-sized models to showcase their clothing. This shows society slowly but surely moving past the stereotypes put in place for women towards one which is progressive and embracing. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was set up by the shampoo brand Dove to promote self love and self acceptance amongst women in order to raise the self esteem of women. After the findings of a survey showed that a mere two percent of women found themselves attractive, Dove sought to launch a campaign which featured real women as models. These women had appearances outside the stereotypical norms of beauty. They had wrinkles, were overweight, features which only make us human yet are frowned upon on women. The campaign achieved immense success due to the fact that the company challenged stereotypes of beauty, presenting a raw and true brand image instead of the picture perfect models so often used by brands to market their goods. Moreover, fashion students are beginning to see the dangers of women being pressured to conform to certain body types, to which they have responded by being more inclusive towards plus sizes. Students from different colleges such as Central Saint Martins initiated the purchase of different mannequin sizes to “accommodate and encourage students to be inclusive in their practice.” of their own will. Other students have also begun making their own clothes, setting up brands with inclusive sizes as well, such as Lucinda Graham. This pegs the question: Are we as a society capable of moving past the trend in place for the past few centuries to become fully embracing of all body types, or will there always be a definitive beauty standard in trend? Resources: Fighting for plus-size representation in fashion schools “Only ONE size?”: What’s behind the Brandy Melville craze Image taken from https://stylehasnosize.com/fashion/finally-plus-size-diversity-2/ Lok Qi Ern 3 Unity