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Skye Standley, once hailed as a rising star in the modeling world in 2021, has faced significant challenges in her career. Known for her striking features, curves, and red hair, she appeared in campaigns for brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Ganni, and Savage X Fenty. However, despite being featured in "ones to watch" lists alongside established plus-size models like Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser, Standley describes the past year as one of her most difficult.
"The past two years have been really challenging," Standley stated, noting a decrease in work opportunities. She reported working only a few times last year, a stark contrast to the continuous work she experienced in the preceding years. Standley also observed a decline in casting calls during London Fashion Week and a general regression from brands she had previously collaborated with, leading her to leave her agency three weeks ago.
Despite the body positivity movement's advancements in the fashion industry over the last decade, there are indications that the industry is reverting to prioritizing thinness. Factors contributing to this shift include the idealization of thinness in "wellness" culture, the resurgence of 90s fashion and its association with "heroin chic" aesthetics, the popularity of weight-loss injections like Ozempic, and the cyclical nature of fashion trends. Additionally, some blame the demonization of diversity initiatives and the persistence of fatphobia. Models, activists, and advocates for size inclusivity are questioning the rapid reversal of progress. Standley believes that the industry is separating those who genuinely support inclusivity from those who were simply following a trend.
Tess Holliday, who has modeled for brands like Chromat and appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan, described the initial embrace of larger bodies as a "Renaissance." However, she has noticed a decline in her own work and expressed disappointment in the industry's recent shift. While Holliday is transitioning away from modeling to focus on other projects, she acknowledges feeling disheartened by the regression. "To see such a drastic slide back, it really does make you feel like the progress didn’t matter, but I know that’s just what society wants me to say and feel, and I refuse to give in to that. But do I have moments where I sit around and feel like perhaps I was one of a handful of people that were used to make it seem like people cared? Yeah, maybe sometimes.”
Model and activist Felicity Hayward pinpointed 2023 as a turning point, coinciding with the emergence of Ozempic. Hayward, who tracks the use of curve models in fashion weeks across major cities for her report "Inside the Curve," has observed a significant decline in recent seasons. New York Fashion Week, which featured 70 plus-size models in 2023, only showcased 23 this year. London Fashion Week saw a decrease from 80 plus-size models in September 2024 to just 26 this year, with 17 of those featured in Sinéad O’Dwyer's show. Hayward noted that Milan has never fully embraced size inclusivity, and Paris featured only 22 plus-size looks in its February shows. "I thought, naively maybe, we had come to a place now where women’s bodies in particular had stopped being criticised,” she said, “and we were just accepting everybody for who they are.”
Hayward began monitoring inclusion to hold designers accountable, emphasizing the importance of tracking whether brands consistently use curve models or only do so sporadically. She also noted a trend of brands using fewer plus-size models or favoring "mid-size" models (UK size 12 to 16) over larger sizes. According to Hayward, some models who were previously a size 16 or 18 have lost weight and are now a size 12. "It’s really difficult because, on one hand, I don’t want to speak about women’s bodies, but if the only plus-size representation we have are also losing weight, it does feel like the whole industry is turning their back on us.” Vogue Business's recent size inclusivity survey supports these observations, revealing that only 12 designers used plus-size models in 198 fashion shows earlier this year. The report also highlighted the limited representation of mid-size models, with only a few faces being consistently used.
Nyome Nicholas-Williams, a model and activist who experienced a surge in work in 2021, has also seen a decline in opportunities over the past couple of years. While she continues to work with some brands, she has increasingly taken on hand modeling jobs and is seeking part-time employment. The shift has impacted her financially and mentally. "I’m tired from all the fighting, just to have clothes that fit, or brands and designers actually wanting to put out clothes that plus people can wear.”
Nicholas-Williams expressed early skepticism about the longevity of brands' commitment to size inclusivity, anticipating a return to previous standards. She noted that when larger models are used, they tend to be mid-size, and she has observed plus-size models losing weight to secure more work. "I think there is a pressure," she said, clarifying that she would not personally alter her weight for a job. "I would never lose weight for a brand to hire me, because I don’t want to change myself for them, because then you don’t want me authentically as myself.”
Standley shared similar concerns about the sustainability of the inclusivity movement. "When you’re actually on the sets and you’re having certain experiences that are not good, you can see through a lot of it,” she said. “Things don’t fit, and things are not always great, and you need to work three times as hard to make it work. You push through because you want to get something good out of it.”
Despite the challenges, Standley acknowledged the positive outcomes of the movement, including increased platforms and exposure for individuals. It fostered a sense of community among models and activists and provided representation for individuals who have struggled with body image. "I think it has inspired some designers and some people that do want to still keep pushing,” Standley noted. “Those are the good things that came out of it. But I do feel, especially now, a lot of it was and is performative.” She cautioned that performative actions are easily abandoned.
Standley believes that the fashion industry operates on a "domino effect," with brands imitating each other's inclusivity efforts and now following suit in the regression. She asserted that the industry's deep-rooted fatphobia, which was temporarily set aside, has resurfaced. "Most of the industry is deeply rooted in a lot of fatphobia and that was maybe put to the side for a proportion of time, but now that things have settled, and people are back to how they really want to be, it’s really just accepted.”
Some professionals in the field perceive a significant backlash. Hayward reported a resurgence in online hate and abuse directed towards larger bodies, reminiscent of pre-2016 levels. Clothing brand Snag reported receiving over 100 daily complaints about their models being "too fat" and has hired staff to manage negative comments on social media. However, Snag's founder, Brigitte Read, believes that negative attitudes have persisted. "Honestly, I don’t think attitudes ever really changed to be more positive. When you look at the kind of hatred that you see in the comments, and overall on the internet, and myself as a fat person – I get shouted at just as much on the street now as I used to – I didn’t personally see a decrease in that level of animosity.”
Emma Matell, a casting director known for her inclusive practices, expressed concern for the plus-size models she has supported. "It’s really sad to see that they don’t get the bookings they deserve.” Matell frequently collaborates with Sinéad O’Dwyer, a designer committed to diverse casting. For her London Fashion Week show in February, they focused on booking models due to the limited opportunities available for curve models. "It felt important to highlight that there are amazing curve models that are not working.”
Even during the period of increased diversity, challenges persisted. Matell noted the frequent lack of clothing samples available for plus-size models in magazine shoots, often resulting in them being styled in incomplete outfits. "Which is why a lot of the time when you see imagery of curve models, they’re not ever fully dressed.”
Despite the setbacks, Matell believes that some progress has been made. Consumers have seen themselves reflected in media, and she hopes they will continue to demand inclusivity from brands. "Whether or not the brands are choosing to take steps back, I think that’s going to come back in their face when their consumer is saying: ‘Why am I suddenly no longer part of your brand when you were preaching that two years ago?’ I do think there is a generational shift coming up in who the consumer is and what they’ll demand.”
Standley remains committed to representing her community in her work. "Being over a certain dress size, larger than most plus-size models that are working, and not having a super-conventional or commercial look, I keep trying to push back and fight for change – to change the narrative on what it is to be plus size, existing in the world and also in this industry.”
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