Debunking Plus Size Myths With Afamado

Plus size women are everywhere. We’re teachers and writers, designers and scientists, lawyers and moms. And yes, contrary to popular belief that plus size women cannot be fashionable and stylish, some of us are fashion bloggers.

Existing as a plus size woman in society that is hell-bent on ignoring you and making you invisible is nothing less than an act of rebellion itself. But it doesn’t stop here. On a daily basis we are bombarded with overwhelming misconceptions and myths about our bodies and lifestyle. From internet doctors giving us lectures about our health to garden-variety fatphobes telling us what we should and should not wear. 

Everyday some new plus size myth crops up that adds to the growing fatphobia in our society. If we really want to end size based discrimination and prejudices against plus size bodies, it is important to debunk and bust the most common plus size myths.

Plus Size Is A Temporary Size 

Since a young age women have been conditioned to aspire to look a certain way. And their body size is an integral part of it. Women have been made to believe that for them to be considered beautiful and desirable they have to be thin. Anything other than thin is unacceptable. Because we are so condition to seeing thin as an aspiration and the biggest achievement, many people, including fashion industry insiders, believe that plus size is a temporary size and all plus size women want to lose weight and be thin and no woman really wants to be plus size for life.

It is an age old myth that all plus size women see themselves as a body in transition. That they see their current plus size as temporary that will eventual change. Not only is this thinking problematic but also very harmful. 

Here’s a fact: While many plus size women are unhappy with their bodies and do everything in their power to change it, many of us are very happy in our plus size bodies. Not all of us are aspiring and striving for a single-digit size. Some of us are happy with our double-digit size and plus size bodies. For us, plus size is a permanent size.

Plus Size Women Don’t Shop Plus Size 

I work in the fashion industry. And not since the past few years when I started blogging, but for a good 8+ years - since I started my career as a fashion designer. From my days as a fashion student to now, I have been told and made to believe that plus size women don’t like to shop and dress up. Back then, the plus size market in India was non-existent. But now, with the plus size market booming globally, many people in India still hold on to these antiquated views. 

The biggest accusation against plus size women is, they don’t spend money on plus size clothes. The truth is, first, plus size clothes are not easily available in India, and second, the few that are available are frumpy, shapeless and downright boring. No woman in her right mind would spend money on those clothes, and yet, so many of us do, not out of choice but out of necessity. 

The sad reality is; the fashion industry takes plus size consumer for granted. Instead of offering her with well-designed, quality fashion, like they do for straight size, they create tasteless clothes that are neither stylish nor interesting.

Plus size women love to dress up and are just as willing to spend like straight size women. We too deserve quality fashion that makes up look and feel good. Time the fashion industry took note of that.

Plus Size Women Are Glorifying Obesity

One of the biggest allegation against plus size people and the body positive and fat acceptance movement is that it glorifies obesity. Ever since the movement has gone mainstream and plus size women have gotten more visible and vocal, the allegation has grown too. 

Anytime a plus size/ fat woman decides to unabashedly celebrate herself and her fat body by promoting self-love and self-acceptance, she is blatantly fat shamed and often accused of glorifying obesity. 

This is hands down the biggest myth about plus size people and the body positive and fat acceptance movement as well.

The term “glorifying obesity” is nothing but a dog whistle used against plus size and fat people with the aim to silence them. We all know health is subjective and one cannot just look at someone and decide if that person is healthy or not, fit or not. But that doesn’t stop people from fat shaming plus size and fat people in the name of health and fitness. 

If promoting self-love and self- acceptance at any size is considered as glorifying obesity, then yes, plus size people are glorifying obesity. 

Corissa Enneking of Fat Girl Flow perfectly sums up what glorying obesity really mean: “I am glorifying obesity. I am glorifying this body that does not, and has never, got enough praise for its existence. I am glorifying the rebellion I live each day while loving this body. I am glorifying the pounds I gained after years of starving myself. I am glorifying every moment I am alive in this body that others would discard as worthless. And I am extremely proud of myself. So I celebrate that by sharing my life and my experiences with other people. Amazing people.”

When I started blogging in October 2011, plus size fashion and plus size fashion blogging, both were considered as niche. Very often the only plus size blogger to be present at an event, I would feel like the odd woman out. On multiple occasions I would not have anything good to wear to these events and I would end up not attending them because of it.

Afamado Dress | Kate Spade Bag | Pavers England Shoes | Lakme Absolute Luxe Matte Lip Color With Argan Oil  Lipstick Crimson Town | Makeup Courtesy Lakmé at Lakmé Fashion Week

Now, when I see the plus size fashion industry in India make its presence felt it gives me great hope. Up and coming size-inclusive brands Afamado is one such brand. With the aim of promoting body positivity and size-diversity, the brand is offering plus size and fat women what they have been deprived for a long, long, time – stylish and quality fashion. The clothes are beautifully designed and well-fitted (they offer customisation as well), Afamado is the go to brand for trendy plus size clothes, especially dresses and gowns. 

The best part is, they are not just breaking plus size myth, they are busting plus size fashion myth too. They are offering plus size and fat women a plethora of choices that is colourful, sexy and so very chic. Their clothes don’t look like shapeless garbage bag or printed tent. None of that here. Afamado’s clothes are structured, on-trend and aspirational. Their clothes aren’t made to hide your body. Their clothes are made to flaunt your curves, give you confidence and make you feel like a million bucks.

Photography by Shreyas Hegde

Till then, tra-la,

    Amena!!
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Can Plus Size Be Aspirational?

At the previous season of Lakme Fashion Week a designer’s PR manager politely asked me, “can plus size ever become socially acceptable and mainstream? Can plus size be aspirational?”

One would assume, with India finally having its first ever plus size fashion show such questions would be a thing of the past.

No such luck! For someone who has been plus size most of her life, questions like these are common. However, what is infuriating is, the more inclusive the fashion industry strives to become, the louder these questions get. 

The one thing that is holding the fashion industry back from including plus size and visibly fat bodies is a set of rigidly imposed rules and norms.
It is the same rules and norms which made us believe that dusky and dark skin can not be beautiful and to be anything in life we all need to be fair and lovely!

The real question is: how can something that represents more than 60% of the country’s population NOT be mainstream?

It's no secret that the fashion industry - in India and globally - has long struggled to adequately represent plus size and fat women, failing to offer her quality fashion, fair representation, and excluding her from runway shows and editorials.  

Before plus size can become mainstream and aspirational, it first needs to be normalized and socially accepted. 

Since plus size and fat bodies have been marginalized for a very long, it needs a serious change in the attitude and narrative. For fashion to become an inclusive industry, we need to fight and end all kinds of size hegemony. 

The only way to normalize plus size and fat bodies is by breaking all stereotypes and myths about it. 

Let’s start by breaking the most common myth: All plus size women are fat.

This is absolutely not true. All plus size women are NOT fat. But all fat women are plus size. However, that doesn’t stop society from labelling every non-thin woman as ‘fat’.

The first step is to reclaim all negative words and terms associated with plus size bodies.

Who Is Afraid Of The F-Word?

FAT: It is that one word women are indoctrinated to detest. Just a mention of it has then freaking out and there is no bigger insult than being called that. A three letter word that has forced women of all ages to go to war with their bodies. The fear of ever being labeled that has been the root cause of body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

In a thin-obsessed society, being a fat woman is to fail on every single level; it is not just a physical flaw but a moral one as well.

Now, thanks to the fat acceptance movement and fat activism, the word ‘fat’ is losing its negative status. For many of us it is just another word, an adjective, that describes us.  Fat and thin are just descriptors. Neither is fat an insult nor is thin a compliment.

“Does This Make Me Look Fat?” 

The ultimate aim is to pretend you’re not fat. Instead of telling plus size and fat women to be comfortable with their bodies, women are encouraged to “look slim”, to buy clothes that are “flattering” and to avoid certain type of clothes because they don’t hide the fact that fat women are fat. We have been taught to want to look smaller than our natural size. More often than not, we shun an outfit because it makes us look our real size and is not “flattering and slimming”. 

Plus size and fat women need to understand that designers and brands are not magicians. They can’t make your body looks 4 sizes smaller with their clothes. 

Let’s face it - If you’re fat, you’ll look fat no matter whatever you wear, and the sooner you accept that, the better. 

The fear of “looking fat” or being called “fat” has terrorised women to such a large extent that they will torture their bodies to avoid that label. This is also one of the reasons why most plus size and fat women don’t experiment with fashion and deny themselves the joy of fashion. 

First, you need to accept you are plus size/fat. Whether or not you choose to label yourself as fat or plus size is your individual choice and not a norm or compulsion. You just need to acknowledge it to yourself.

Once you do that, it will give you the freedom and confidence to dress the way you want for the body you have, instead of trying to dress in ways you think will give you the body you don’t have.

One Size Doesn’t ‘Fit’ All

Even though over 60% of India’s population is plus size, disdain around “the f-word” is one of the main reasons why plus size fashion hasn’t yet managed to gain mainstream momentum in India.

Plus size and fat bodies are often depicted as the unhealthy ‘other’, the unattractive ‘before’, a warning sign for heart diseases and a poster child for obesity epidemic. 

Like all forms of media and pop culture, fashion too is a part of the body politics.

Plus size hasn’t been an aspirational look because mainstream media is constantly selling: “Look at this woman. Don’t you want be her?”

Women are not just taught to hate the word fat; they have been brainwashed into believing that being plus size or fat is a temporary point in their life and they should not buy clothes for their body as it is now.

The not-so-subtle message being sent is, for women to participate in fashion they first need to become the ‘after’ picture and they should only buy stuff when they reach a socially and fashionably acceptable weight.

With so much negative stereotyping how can any one expect plus size to be seen as aspirational?

When you constantly tell plus size and fat women that their body shape should be considered temporary, that their current body is not the body they want, how can you expect them to look at plus size fashion as an aspiration? For then, plus size fashion is a means to an end, something to cover their plus size or fat bodies, not something they want or desire. 

Yes, there are many plus size and fat women who are not happy with their shape and size and genuinely want to change it. However, that should not be used as a yardstick or an excuse for all plus size and fat women. Just because some women are not comfortable with their plus size/fat bodies doesn’t mean you assume all women are.

A lot of women have found a balance between fat and fit. I am one of them. I have always strived to be fit and healthy, both, physically and mentally, rather than kill myself trying to be thin. I don’t see thin as a prerequisite for being fit, healthy or stylish. 

Fat activist and body positive advocates like me don’t see fat as a temporary phase of our life until we figure out a way to get the ‘perfect body’. My current body is my perfect body. I should not be told to lose weight so I can fit into a top I like. I should not have to workout till my back breaks so that I can fit into a pair of jeans. These things should be available to me, just like they are available for thin women.

Why Plus Size Fashion Matters

Here’s how plus size brands play a significant role in changing fashion industry’s attitude towards plus size and fat bodies. Unlike other brands, they have chosen to create clothes for a marginalized section of society. In a way, plus size brands are also making the most invisible woman, visible. Props to them for doing that.

The pertinent question is, are the clothes created by plus size brands tasteful and fashion forward? Are they aspirational? Or are they just easy-to-make, tacky clothes with questionable aesthetics. Are plus size and fat women who are buying your clothes happy with it or are they craving for something better and stylish?

A question every plus size fashion brand and designer needs to ask: are my clothes a convenience because of size availability or are they a choice because of good aesthetics? Will women of all sizes buy them?

Globally, plus size and fat women are leading the body positive and fat acceptance movement. Fashion designers like Ashley Nell Tipton and Christian Siriano, plus size fashion brands like Lane Bryant, Eloquii and Torrid, magazines like Volup2, Slink and PLUS Model Magazine and events like TheCurvyCon are constantly breaking stereotypes and pushing towards making fashion more inclusive and diverse. There has been a conscious effort to create a space where plus size and fat women can express themselves, share their stories and celebrate their bodies.

Indian Fashion Industry Needs A Fundamental Change In Attitude

Unlike the west, plus size fashion in India is still struggling to find its footing. While baby steps have been taken in a positive direction, by large, plus size and fat women have no real representation. 

While some of us have been speaking about lack of size diversity and representation, our voices don’t really get heard nor does our work get noticed. There has hardly been any effort from the Indian fashion industry to include vocal body positive and fat activist into their narrative. In India, plus size and fat women like me are barely seen, hardly heard and never applauded. In the current social climate, the only time plus size and fat bodies are seen is when a brand or magazine want to create a social buzz. Otherwise, we are relegated to the back of the line. 

This needs to stop!

A serious attitude change is needed towards plus size and fat bodies. I have said this before and I say it again, lack of representation is the biggest hurdle for plus size fashion in India.

Until you don’t represent plus size and fat bodies in a positive light how can you expect plus size to become mainstream and be considered aspirational.

All around the word, it has been plus size fashion blogger, body positive advocates and fat activist who have fought to have their voices be heard. We need to do the same in India. 

Global Desi Embroidered Top | Global Desi Palazzo | Coach Bag | Van Heusen Sandals | L'Oreal Paris Star Collection Lip Color Pure Rouge | Loreal Paris Superliner Waterproof Gel Eyeliner | Maybelline Volum Express Colossal Waterproof Mascara 

Can Plus Size Ever Be Aspirational? 

Yes! First thing first, we need stop glorifying skinny and thin bodies and treating fashion as a thin privilege; an exclusive club where only a select few have access to it. We need to stop celebrating only thin bodies and and we need to stop looking at plus size and fat women as the “ugly, unhealthy other”. We’re not that. 

We need to change the narrative, create space for a new, inclusive narrative and let women of all sizes have a stake and say in it.

Photography by Abhishek Arora

Till then, tra-la,

    Amena!!
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