About a week ago, eighteen year old Rayne Fisher Quann from Vancouver posted the following on Twitter:
“a tweet making fun of these women has 100k likes but i swear to god if bella hadid wore this exact outfit it would be on a million “80s casual inspo ♥” pinterest boards bc, as always, fashion is judged exclusively by the bodies that wear it”
This picture in combination with her statement went viral not only on Twitter, but also on other platforms like Instagram. I have seen this post reposted many times and I wondered if people would make fun of me if I would wear that outfit? I am pretty sure they would. And I agree, my skinnier friends would probably receive compliments for that outfit, whereas I could listen to comments about showing too much skin or shorts on fuller figured people.
This, my dear friends, is a type of body shaming I simply cannot grapple. Why are certain outfits and stylings only acceptable on one type of body? Why do we preach body positivity and selflove if we do not practice it? Why is the fashion industry still so discriminating and why do people even care to make mean comments and fun about people, no matter their size or what they are wearing?
Even more shocking is the fact that the making fun part does not only go into the “what-can-fat-people-wear-and-what-not“ debate, it also appears to be triggering hatred towards less fortunate people. In the comment section of Raynes’s tweet, she criticizes the people mocking this “Walmart fashion” because it shows how beauty and thinness are increasingly only available to the rich. According to Rayne, especially the first fit can be seen on TikTok, Instagram, and co, and is complimented when worn by a skinny, rich woman. But because fatness is associated with laziness and ignorance and the aesthetics of poverty are coded as evil or poor taste, the women in this picture are ugly. And not to mention the fact that fat people must not tuck in their shirts, right?!
The only disgusting part of this discussion is that real human beings are harassed and discriminated on the basis of what they look like and what they wear. Additionally, policing fashion based on the bodies that wear it is simply wrong. This discrimination is rooted in inherently toxic structures within society, and also the fashion industry. I keep wondering why there is so little of beautiful affordable clothing for plus-size men and women. But the problem goes way beyond the fact that I can basically only buy black cloths to cover up my body if I cannot spent the majority of my income on clothes.
Because even if you find items you like and that you could possibly afford, in many cases that brand or shop proves not to be size-inclusive (again…). Talking from my own experience, that is very frustrating. And now imagine to have finally found an outfit you like and you feel comfortable in, you show your skin, maybe because you like it, or maybe because it f*cking hot outside, and you are still being harassed. Unfortunately, this is reality for many people.
I wish people would invest more energy in minding their own businesses instead of taking their precious time to insult others. Or use their time and try to enlighten their followers, families, and friends like Rayne did. Whenever we highlight and talk about toxic trends and abusive structures, hopefully we can progress to breaking some of those stupid norms and codes.
On that note, I want to tell you, that whatever you are wearing right now, or how you are feeling at the moment, you look great and you are worthy!
