Each fall, fashion girls everywhere make a beeline to the newsstands to pick up every September issue they can get their hands on—the most important one being Vogue, whose annual fashion bible is so epic there’s an entire documentary based around it. It goes without saying that Vogue is the magazine women look to as the authority on fashion and with that, there comes responsibility.
We’ve seen so many positive changes in the fashion industry recently—prominent voices (all eyes on Cara Delevingne!) are speaking out, brands are taking a stand against body-shaming, new lines empowering all bodies are emerging and even the fashion week runways are becoming more diverse.
That’s why it’s so disappointing to see that across 832 pages of fall fashion, in an issue with a coverline that calls out “The Rule-Breakers Defining the Way We Dress Now,” the only two pages where you’ll find plus-size models is a Lane Bryant ad teasing an upcoming campaign with the hashtag #PlusIsEqual. Sure, having a full spread in such a popular and coveted issue is great for visibility, but when the only time Vogue will feature plus-size models in its September issue is when a brand has paid hundreds of thousands for them to be in those pages, it becomes clear that the progress we’ve made towards body acceptance is far from where we want—and need—it to be.
According to the ad, the #PlusIsEqual campaign, which can be found at plusisequal.com, will launch September 14 this year. We’re counting down the days—and hoping that the campaign will enlighten the likes of Vogue and the entire fashion industry to truly help make plus equal.