Why Fashion Needs to Gain Weight

Christianne Philippone
3 min readJul 20, 2018

Why is it that skinny people are seen as fashionable if all they do is put a basic outfit together? Why is being skinny seen as fashionable and sought after?

Let’s take a look at some of the current trends in fashion right now. If a skinny girl puts on an oversized outfit, she’s trendy and stylish. But if someone who isn’t skinny tried this, they would be called frumpy, or worse.

I’m going to admit that I’m skinny, and I hope that you’ll hear me out in regards to this post. It might seem weird that I’m writing about this, but it’s something that definitely needs to be talked about more.

A brand designed for plus-sized women, Premme. Image credits: Premme/premme.us

One of the biggest reasons why this is still an issue is because even though brands are coming out with an extended size range on their collections or an exclusive plus-size collection, it’s still a limited collection. And the clothes might not be as stylish or trendy as the “regular” sizes. I’ve seen some of the garments in the plus-size sections and they can also be proportioned in a weird way so the garments don’t fit properly. It’s like in Forever 21 when you grab a bigger size in hopes of a longer fit but it’s still the same length for each garment, just wider when you increase the size. It makes no sense.

Nicolette Mason, fashion blogger and fashion advocate. Shown photographed for Who What Wear. Image credits: Paley Fairman/whowhatwear.com

In this age of progression in society, we would think that fashion would be more inclusive. Luckily we have models and bloggers such as Ashley Graham, Nicolette Mason, and Katie Sturino who have helped people see that your size shouldn’t limit your fashion.

Ashley Graham walking at the Spring 2018 Ready-to-Wear collection for Prabal Gurung. Image credits: Yannis Vlamos/Vogue.com

There are designers like Christian Siriano and Prabal Gurung who have introduced plus-sized designs and models on their runways. While it may only be a few fashion houses and designers doing this, I still think that this is amazing. It’s a great overall move for the fashion industry. High fashion has been a leader in creating the unfortunate illusion that clothes only work on skinny models. This movement for a more inclusive runway is important in today’s times.

A model walks the runway at the Christian Siriano Fall 2018 Ready-to-Wear show. Image credits: Luca Tombolini/Vogue.com

We should all love our bodies, no matter the size, color, shape, et cetera. I know not everyone has the best attitude on their body image, but the more inclusive and fashion-forward garments become, the more positive the effect will be. It can create a more positive environment for the current generation and generations to come.

An image from Dove’s body positivity campaign. Image credits: Dove/Huffingtonpost.com

Doesn’t the new and improved saying state that in order to get a bikini body, you must put the bikini on? Brands need to incorporate more of this body positivity into their garments and branding.

What are your thoughts on size inclusion in fashion? Let me know in the comments below.

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Christianne Philippone

Fashion Journalist and Social Reformer; Co-founder of Manizer; published in Art U News, Fashion School Daily, and Forbes