July 19, 2008

What size does fashion come in?

Lately it's been bothering me how fashion and ideal of beauty seems to come in a size 2. Me and my cousins were chatting about clothing and fashion the other day, and all I ever hear from them is the admiration for the models and actresses who come in obscenely small sizes. Curious, I asked them, "Why do you adore them so much? What is it about being thin that's so appealing?" And they simply reply, "because clothes will look better on us."

Is that really the case? Has society nowadays officially thrown themselves into the depths of "skinny-chic" for fashion? This hasn't been a recent problem, it's been happening at an increasing rate since skinny models and icons became the new norm. And I know this isn't the most original topic to be musing about, but as a person who is far from the ideal size 2 and who packs in extra meat here and there, this is something that bothers me as a blogger who puts herself out into the public sphere.

It's funny to think that clothing supposedly looks better on skinny people. The way oversized clothing drapes and the way the skinny jeans just seem to elongate legs is just so tempting and desirable. That's how society is trying to sculpt us into believing, and it's working pretty darn well. In smaller-scale outfit presentation threads (on forums and such) I tend to see a gravitation towards the skinnier girls who show off their outfits. They get more praise, clothes supposedly look better on them, and people always comment on their size as being a subject of envy.

But I coincidentally ran into an old friend from high school, now named Maricelle for privacy purposes. It was at this moment I realized that everything my cousins had just said was completely wrong. Here is Maricelle, with full breasts, curves, and a little extra meat on the side looking fashionable, unique and herself in her clothing. Everything about her was charming, charismatic, and cool. She wore cutoff shorts (although her legs are not a perfect proportion) with an elaborate sequin tube top layered under button up tuxedo shirt. Looking at her you could tell she was a full girl, but she was so content with what she was wearing.

Which brings me to another point of importance. Confidence. Confidence just seemed to be the missing ingredient that seems to avoid women all across the world. It is with confidence that I realize size doesn't matter when it comes to fashion. It's how you present yourself to the world that really matters. So although it's time I retire for the night, I feel certain that no outfit is going to be restricted from me from now on as long as I hold the confidence to proudly walk out in public.

9 comments:

yiqin; said...

Yes, no outfit should be restricted & " plus sized " girls CAN look good too! I feel that confidence is what that matters :) Awesome post!

Anonymous said...

you said it best. ily!

Sharon S said...

Hi there-your last paragraph summed it up nicely!!

simimoon said...

i agree, i do not think you have to be skinny to be fashionable. i believe you can be fashionable at any size so long as you wear your clothing correctly and confidentally.

ps. you're an excellently articulate writer!

Lydia said...

I totally agree!
Sometimes I worry that my size will bring me down in the blogsphere, and that people might focus on that instead of my outfits or creativity. Luckily, so far I've found that isn't the case. People (at least in the blog world) are accepting of all sizes, and I think that the mainstream fashion world should take note of that, too. All it take is confidence.

christina said...

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the comments. (And haha, I'm not nearly as articulate as I'd like to be. Ramblings at 3am would hardly be considered good for my blog.) I only hope that the people closest in my life will take a lesson in confidence as well.

simimoon said...

linked you missy!

Anonymous said...

I agree that people do not need to skinny in order to beautiful.
It has far more to do with being confident with who you are as a person. Take for instance Queen Latifa and Kate Winslet. They are both beautiful women who carry themsevles well and look amazing.
I think all women no matter the size can look wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Well said! I completely agree with the confidence aspect. As long as you're happy in yourself/your clothes, then you'll be fabulous in what you choose to wear - no matter whether you are 'skinny' or not.