Fashion has always been a tricky topic. Who decides what’s trendy and what’s not? While this can be a debated topic, fashion has no doubt always (unfortunately) favored a smaller size. In recent years, we have seen a shift in this narrative, people challenging the idea that fashion is reserved for those size 2 and under. But from the Victoria’s Secret fashion show scandal years back, to toxic “fitspo” content in today’s media, it seems we can’t escape this idea that being skinny equals being fashionable.
Is it a fit, or is she just skinny?
Tiktok took notice to this toxic notion and influencers created the trend they coined, “is it a fit, or is she just skinny?” and others in that same realm. They examine celebrities and influencers like Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and even Emma Chamberlain who are seen as fashion inspirations, and question why they are seen as so fashionable in the first place. Is what they’re wearing that unique, or does it have to do with the body underneath the clothes?
The trend features influencers that do not fall into the same size bracket as the woman wearing the outfit in question, and they attempt to recreate the outfit to see if it actually is something cute and trendy, or if the woman’s body is what made it trendy. 99% of the time, the outfit looks pretty ridiculous, if not just basic and boring. These videos prove the unfortunate fact that in a lot of cases, especially in the fashion world, being considered skinny is used as an accessory. A woman in a white tank and mom jeans is considered fashionable and pinterest-worthy because she has her abs peaking out of her wasiband, while a woman a few sizes up most likely wouldn’t get the same praise. It’s not only sad, but frustrating, to see something deemed fashionable not based on whether the clothes themselves are trendy or uniquely put together, but rather the size of the woman wearing them.
A tweet made by user raynefq words it perfectly in her tweet showcasing a “trendy” outfit on a body that isn’t considered thin. “Fashion is judged exclusively by the bodies that wear it.”
This trend has sparked a larger conversation in the community of women who do fall into the skinny or thin categories; am I using my size as an accessory? Let’s rewind. What exactly does using “skinny” as an accessory mean? In my Tiktok rabbit hole on the topic, I stumbled on a few videos from smaller women who had come to the realization that outfits they had considered fashionable at the time, were really just outfits that emphasized their abs with a crop top, or their thigh gap in a mini skirt. The outfit itself could be basic, but they considered it trendy because their body was the real thing that was on-trend.
have you fallen victim to this trend?
This opened my eyes to something I had never thought about. As a smaller person, my go-to going out look is a crop top and jeans. Why? Because I like the way my body looks, I like to show off my flat stomach and tiny waist. And while feeling good in what you’re wearing is important, it was the motives behind the outfit that were of concern. Why did I always feel the need to tuck my sweaters in my bra to make them cropped? Why do I feel insecure when I’m more covered up and my smaller frame is not as easily seen? The sad conclusion was that I didn’t feel fashionable if I didn’t feel like I looked skinny.
While trends like the, “is it fashion or is she just skinny?” help to open the conversation about what we deem fashionable and not, it’s not a new problem. Fashion has always been criticized for having non-inclusive sizing, or being fat-phobic. There is only so much we, as consumers of fashion and social media can do, but I challenge you to take a look at some of your own fashion choices. Do you like an influencer’s outfit because its trendy and exciting, or is it that the body wearing the clothes fit the conventional beauty standard we’re faced with today? Asking yourself questions like these is what will eventually shape the narrative for the women in fashion that come after us. At the end of the day, a body is a body, not a fashion statement.