The way in which trends are consumed in today’s society is the fastest in history. Because of fast fashion brands coupled with intense consumer culture, fashion trends are in and out faster than a blink of an eye. Unless you’re buying a new wardrobe weekly, it’s basically impossible to stay updated with every trend. Interestingly, one of the most prominent themes in fashion in recent months is individuality. Dressing in a way that deviates from the norm used to be avoided, now it’s embraced. Fashion has always been about expression, but with the integration of fashion into media, it has transformed into a celebration of uniqueness.
There aren’t many issues with that point of view. On paper, it sounds fantastic. Fashion brands celebrating the unique qualities of their consumers and promoting nontraditional ensembles? It sounds perfect until you realize who’s left out: plus-size. Trying to stay “in style” is exhausting when you’re above a size 10. It’s even harder to buy sustainable clothing in current trends- many “buy to sell” thrift stores avoid buying too much stock of plus-size items, leaving a massive disparity between the sizing of available items. While plus-size options have expanded in droves in just the past few years alone, sizes above an extra-large are virtually nonexistent in stores that aren’t dedicated to providing an inclusive environment. Trends ignore plus sizes intentionally, as many see plus size models as “undesirable” to market items. Companies like Shein, one of the biggest proponents of fast fashion, choose to photoshop many of their plus-size items onto models rather than simply hiring someone.
It seems like society is on its way to fixing this issue, as slow as it may seem. Brands are slowly starting to include more plus-size representation, like Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty line. It sounds pessimistic to say that isn’t enough, but it isn’t. It’s a step in the right direction, but there’s no reason any brand in 2021 can’t offer a plus-size option for every piece they have. Fashion is on the way to total acceptance, but there’s still a long way to go.