Contrary to narrow standards

The current standards — a young girl with parameters of 90-60-90 — are rooted in the 60s, when the first post-war, «well-fed» generation grew up. They emphasized that they were undernourished not out of necessity, but out of their own free will. The trend in fashion began to be set by teenagers, led by the legendary Twiggy, who became famous for her thinness. Since then, our perception, shaped by cultural attitudes, obediently considers conformity to these parameters to be beautiful. Moreover, thinness began to automatically act as a synonym for youth, excluding older women from the fashion sphere.

But fashion is linked to the economy, and in the context of globalization, it is unprofitable for competing brands to ignore those who do not fit narrow standards (literally and figuratively!). Justice for overweight people who were closed to the world of fashion is now being restored. Of course, earlier there were attempts to «soften» the imperative of thinness. Thanks to such famous models as Laetitia Casta and Sophie Dahl, ladies of non-standard build appeared on the podium. Full models were repeatedly involved in the shows of Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano. And recently, after scandals due to cases of anorexia among models, weight control of fashion models is carried out before the defile in order to weed out the skinniest. And many designers prefer not to exclude people with non-standard parameters from the circle of their clients.

Among the Russian models of the plus size category, Ekaterina Zharkova (weight 82 kg) became famous, who actively opposes abnormal thinness. A lot of conflicting responses caused her naked picture, where she poses in an embrace with a painfully thin model. In 2009, Ekaterina won the Russian contest «Sweet Woman», and now works in America, combining her modeling career and television appearances.

Another well-known full lady, American feminist and comedian Amy Schumer, has repeatedly made programmatic comments about her figure: «I’m not going to look like an underfed bird.» But when in a glossy magazine her photo was placed on a par with plus size models, she gave a sharp retort, criticizing the very concept. The actress accurately noticed that for some reason this label is applied to women, especially successful ones, while men are judged by their business achievements. Nevertheless, Amy Schumer accepted the offer to pose half-naked for the Pirelli calendar, demonstrating a positive attitude towards her own body, and at the same time a radiant mood. Similarly, plump model Iskra Lawrence, after being called a «fat cow» by critics, posted a provocative photo on Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia) of herself in her underwear amidst a pile of potato chips. And there are more and more such “answers” ​​in the fashion world. And this is already a serious symptom: apparently, the times of fashionable tyranny are ending, and “narrow” standards are expanding.