Body image activist and “plus size” model Ashley Graham has made a plea for designers to broaden their minds and their size charts when it comes to designing clothes for the curvier woman. “Slowly but surely there are really big designers that are coming out of the woodwork and making clothes for curvy girls: Christian Siriano, Prabal Gurung. There are a few that are finally pairing up with the right people, but there are so many more that need to do what Michael Kors has done, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and make those extended sizes,” she told Racked. “But what I really want to see — and those designers included — is for designers to make their high-end lines go up in extended sizes, because I wanna buy it!”
But, as Ashley acknowledges, it’s not just designers whose attitudes need addressing, it’s society’s general perception of beauty and body image that needs changing. Indeed, we need to reevaluate our warped notion of what it means to be beautiful. “When I came into the industry at 12 years old I didn’t understand what perfection was, I didn’t understand what plus size was, or what the modeling industry was about. I never really got criticism until I moved to New York. And it wasn’t really the fashion industry that gave me flack, it was more society,” she explained. “It was people looking at me and saying, ‘You’re a model?’ In reality, what we need to be doing is not just changing the fashion industry but challenging the perception at home of what beauty really is.” Yas kween!
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Frances Tulk-Hart