“I’m at this point where I view the diversity of the models on a brand’s website as a litmus test for their ethics, and if I want my dollar going towards them.”
How many people reading this have decided against buying an item of clothing because when they look at the listing on the website, the model is so utterly devoid of looking anything like you, you can’t begin to fathom what it would look like on?
Or you spent eons scrolling through a brand’s tagged photos on Instagram, blindly hoping for someone above a size 10 to be wearing their clothes, so you can either visualise the way they’d look on you, or get confirmation that indeed, this brand only makes stuff for skinny people.
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If these phenomena aren’t familiar to you then I’m guessing you’re either a. skinny or b. not addicted to shopping (my hat is off to you for the latter).
One day recently, my best friend and I were sending links back and forth to each another of clothing we’re currently loving, as we so often do. During this session, we both sent a bunch of links to New Zealand based label, Ruby, and we remarked on how refreshing it is that when you click on a product, you can choose between having a size six and a size 16 modelling the item.
This might seem so unbelievably minor but having this choice was a real moment of affirmation for both of us.
My friend and I fall in the midsize spectrum and really struggle with online shopping due to a struggle visualising what the clothing would actually look like on our bodies. And while I know we have it easy compared to people on the larger end of the fat spectrum, it’s still an issue that all people above a size 12 repeatedly face.
Ruby is one of the first brands I noticed having both a straight size and a plus size model in their product description. To say it has made me feel like I’m welcome shopping there would be an understatement. Having to pay double for models isn’t an easy thing for all businesses to do, particularly small businesses, but they’re rewarded with having customers (like me) become cheerleaders for the brand because they’re seen as a valued customer.
I’m at this point where I view the diversity of the models on a brand’s website as a litmus test for their ethics, and if I want my dollar going towards them. Fashion is political, as is finance, and I’m a firm believer in putting my money where my mouth is. Why would I support a place that doesn’t want me as a customer? Their choice of models makes it very clear who their target demographic is.
So when I click onto Karlaidlaw, or Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp, Sanct or Variety Hour and I see people who look more like me than like the industry standard, I know in my heart these are businesses I’m happy to give my hard-earned money to.
There’s something so powerful about this modicum of inclusivity and being able to see someone who looks like you represented on a brand’s website. I’m also aware of how poor this representation is in the larger scheme of things, given most of these websites only show models up to a size 20, when they should be striving to represent people across the plus size spectrum.
However, it’s still representation worth celebrating and I look forward to seeing more brands jump on the size-inclusive model bandwagon in the coming years.
For more in size inclusivity in fashion, try this.
