When I started this blog, I somehow didn’t quite process the importance of plus modeling and the impact of plus celebrity on what I would write. I’m not really sure how I missed it; I am blogging about fashion. But hey, I observe the unseen and miss the obvious, that’s just the way I’m wired.
I don’t want to be one of those fashion blogs that follows the likes of Queen Latifah (though I think she’s beyond fabulous and I would love to meet her) or Tyra Banks (a person I wouldn’t agree to meet if you payed me) just to see what they’re wearing. They’ve got their own styles, and while the Queen Herself has her own fashion line and is relevant, I want to focus on the clothing, rather than on her. Still, the influence of celebrity throughout Western culture is undeniable, especially in the plus movement.
Which brings me to the potential of up-and-comers in the plus celebrity movement: plus models:
I see a lot of promotions for plus size models, and I acknowledge, they are important. However, those “plus” models sought are often a size 12 to 14 - which is not plus size, and is in fact US average sizing. I don’t knock these girls for getting work where they don’t have to starve themselves, but I do knock the clothes designers for trying to glamorize and “thin down” a reality that is not going to go away. Fat women are fat. I am fat. I want to see the clothing on a fat person - ideally, on a person who is as fat as I am. I’ll know a lot more about how something looks on a size 28 model then I would on a size 22.
If your clothing looks less attractive on a larger person, then there’s a problem with the design - especially if you’re designing for larger people. The plus market is not a stupid market - we do care how we look, a lot, and though this comes as a surprise to the narrow-minded, it’s nothing new to those of us who live in our bodies every day and have come to understand that presentation is everything - and presentation is not the same as disguise.
Plus size women are not stupid, and are not in denial. So thinner models don’t fool us. We aren’t shopping for a fantasy of being thin, and to continue selling it that way is an insult to your target demographic. We know who we are. We accept ourselves, and as a group we are too smart to accept your message that we’re not OK. What we are looking for is clothing that presents us as honored members of society - with our own kind of curves to flatter.
“Plus size women are not stupid, and are not in denial. So thinner models don’t fool us. We aren’t shopping for a fantasy of being thin, and to continue selling it that way is an insult to your target demographic. We know who we are. We accept ourselves, and as a group we are too smart to accept your message that we’re not OK.”
Oh how much I wish this were true!!! You might be interested in the article we just published, and the ensuing discussion on one woman’s eye-opening experience as part of a plus-size fashion marketing focus group:
What Do Plus Size Women Really Want to See in Fashion Advertising?
http://blog.elegantplusmagazine.com/2007/07/12/what-do-plus-size-women-really-want-to-see-in-fashion-advertising/
Aghh! We still have a long ways to go!
You know, I’ve heard of stuff like that happening in focus groups before, which is part of how Coke II was released on the market (and as those who have taken marketing classes know was a historic marketing disaster). It’s hard to get scientific data, especially on a target market as complex as the plus size market. There are so many cultural factors to account for, it’s almost impossible to select just the right cross section of people for feedback. What I’ve been seeing among the online and face-to-face set is a preference for larger models; there may be a privilege factor involved in this, though, since we all have computers and many of us have postsecondary education.