STRETCH: The fashion industry is changing societal norms about the “perfect” body type.
By Michelle Boulos, Staff Writer
From a young age, girls are taught that the “perfect” body image consists of a slim waist, long legs, and a flat stomach. As girls grow older and enter their teenage years, they are inundated with magazines and pop culture that champion and showcase women that still fit into this “perfect” body image.
Society conditions the female population into thinking that “perfection” is only attained with tiny waists and flat stomachs, all to resemble these feminine icons placed among them, perhaps best exemplified by the Barbie doll.
Slowly, but surely, a rising feminist movement is threatening this detrimental line of thinking; everyone will have a “perfect” body type that is free from criticism. Thankfully, this generation has given birth to influential role models dedicated to change the perception of beauty, especially in the world of models.
One model we can credit for ushering in this new era is Gigi Hadid. A prominent figure in fashion and social media, she is described as a “curvy” model with wider hips and a bustier torso. Hadid goes against the fashion industry’s archetypal model. She and her sister, Bella, have appeared on runways alongside Kendall Jenner, Joan Smalls and Cara Delevigne, for designers like Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors and Balmain. To anyone outside the fashion industry, she may look normal, but she has changed the fashion industry just by having a larger waist.
On Season 14 of Project Runway, a fashion designing competition, plus-size fashion designer Ashley Nell Tipton was named the winner with her size 14+ line of clothing. The spotlight on her exuberant threads is one of the first steps to expanding the range of clothing options for women of all body types. Tipton’s line was featured at the Project Runway show during New York Fashion Week 2015, where, for the first time, many shows included plus-sized models, including Beth Ditto and Jennifer Maitland.
People’s views of personal image are changing, which should cultivate a generation of teenage girls who grow up displaying confidence in their shape, rather than being ashamed of their body. Both of these examples show that everyone is beautiful in their own way and that anyone’s body can become a mannequin for different styles. From people around the world, including me, thank you to the fashion industry for beginning to demonstrate to us that everyone has the perfect body type.