Clothing size has always been a sensitive issue for many women. Some feel embarrassed or “not good enough” if they are too big or too small. Female body empowerment has taken off in the past few years and is now facing one of the top businesses most critical about female bodies, the fashion industry.
Stefania Ferrario, an Australian model, and Ajay Rochester, the former host of Australia’s The Biggest Loser, are joining forces and created the #droptheplus campaign. They concerned about the idea of “plus sized” models. Any model bigger than a size 4 is considered plus, and when a majority of the population fits into that “plus” category, it is alarming.
The message that the fashion industry is sending to young girls is that if they don’t fit into the “regular” size category, they are considered less than human.
“It’s dangerous thinking and dangerous labeling and it’s outdated. We don’t label anyone else that way: chef and plus sized chef, comedian and plus sized comedian, doctor and plus sized doctor, teacher and plus sized teacher. So why models and/or women? We are humans, we come in all shapes and sizes.” -Ajay Rochester
This all started because of a picture of a healthy looking model was being labeled plus. Rochester called out the media and fashion industry and was back by Ferrario and many other women, including those from the fashion industry.
Teaching women and girls to love their bodies is hard when an industry many girls look to is telling them that their god given bodies are not good enough. While there have been strides to change, there is still a long way to go.
For more information about the campaign, follow the movement on Twitter and Instagram, @droptheplus!