Technology Diary (10/10)

Intersectionality is (now thanks to the third-wavers) a staple of feminism, but this doesn’t just include women of color, ethnic minorities, and lower classes. This also includes women who don’t fit into the media’s body standards of “beauty”. Unfortunately, for the women who are plus-sized, it’s hard to find clothes that are of quality and fit well. There have been start up companies who keep these women in mind, but it’s hard without funds to get good advertising to gain visibility and target this group.

I’ve noticed that even in the plus-sized section, the mannequins are no better accurate representations than the stick thin mannequins in the standard sized clothing sections. In fact, the plus size mannequins look more like the average woman. The reason for that is plus sized mannequins are just standard sized mannequins’ measurements magnified. In any case, the proportions are not accurate and doesn’t speak to the many different body shapes of the plus sized community. The inaccurate and rather lazy modeling of the mannequins leads to an industry filled with ill fitting clothing and baggy pieces as cop-outs. I mean, why would a fat woman want to accentuate her body’s curves? Shouldn’t she just feel ashamed and want to hide her body? (Please read with sarcasm).

Two fashion design students came up with the most accurate size 24 mannequin the industry has seen before. Even though every woman is built differently and retains fat in different parts of her body, they discovered (by using thousands of 3D imaging scans of plus sized women) that the pear shaped body was the most frequently found. These students released a small collection of Baroque inspired clothing for plus sized women called Rubens’ Women that celebrate curves rather than try to hide them.

It seems counter-intuitive that the fashion industry ignore the plus sized buyers since they have 28% of the market’s purchasing power and it’s a gold mine since it remains relatively untouched by designers. It only perpetuates the idea that fat women should be ashamed of their bodies and should not be allowed to take pride in what they wear and have the right to follow fashion. But, if more designers start paying attention to this target, even if just for profit’s sake, it’ll be a huge win for the community and for the intersectionality of fashion.