Normalizing Normal

It’s 2019 and the world of fashion is finally starting to realize that bodies come in multiple different sizes.  This revelation is manifesting itself on the runways of fashion weeks all over the world.  Notably, New York fashion week debuted Rihanna’s newest Savage X Fenty line, with a cast of models coming in all shapes, colors and sizes.  This is not a first for the lingerie line who made headlines during last year’s New York fashion week when one of the models actually went into labor during the show.

Aside from the inclusion of pregnant models, with buns emerging from their negligees and ovens, Rihanna and other fresh faced designers are disrupting the game in other ways. Behind the scenes content is now readily available thanks to apps like Instagram. Stories can live stream to followers, instantly providing brands with feedback in real time. This feedback, often seem publicly in the comments under any photo or video, is proving to be critical in the way designers are approaching both marketing and creation.

Influencers and celebrities have been pushing toward a healthier silhouette for a while now, and it seems to be finally making an impact. Specifically, designer Christian Siriano has become known for dressing stars who have been turned away by other fashion houses because they were unable to fit sample sizes or whatever garbage excuse was used in their defense. Celebrities normalizing normal bodies—hey, they really are just like us!

It’s an exciting time for fashion, it really is. For decades designers have been primarily working with a very limited scope of sizes and silhouettes. Now, in the age of body positivity and inclusivity, we are able to explore diversity by actually seeing it represented in mainstream media. What does this mean for us? Well, hopefully a future Vogue cover with pores and stretch marks, but at the very least, lots more Billy Porter gowns.