Is Plus Sized clothing just a PR stunt for some?

by Shamindri De Sayrah

When I’m scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, I come across a wide variety of clothing brands. Photoshoots featuring models wearing all the latest collections. But what I rarely come across from most clothing stores, especially big branded stores in Sri Lanka, is plus sized models, or really any different shaped models on their Social Media pages. As someone who is a size XL, you can imagine how upset it constantly makes me to see that people like myself are almost never pictured on social media by the very brands that I buy clothes from. 

Seeing a person who is a similar size to you, pictured as a model, wearing the very clothes you want to buy can be something very powerful especially for young women and men who can be very impressionable. However if you constantly see someone who is only thin, or for a guy, only muscular modelling clothes you want to buy, you might find yourself wondering, “will it even fit me?”, or why you don’t look that way and soon your self confidence will be shot. If stores truly cared about their customers, and not just the way something looks online, they would take the initiative to feature more plus sized and more diverse models. This can send a powerful message to both genders. 

Why is it that certain stores don’t even carry XL or XXL? There have been so many instances where I have seen a gorgeous garment, asked a sales assistant for a size 16 and they look me up and down like “uhh that’s not gonna fit”, well I can try. I for one have a love for jumpsuits and there is a certain store I absolutely love going to, and I’ll admit I own a cupboard full of their jumpsuits and dresses, but that’s because this store makes me feel so comfortable despite my size, they always have big clothing and even though they may not have diverse models (yet), their clothing makes me feel confident.

 I for one have seen and bought from certain stores and onlines stores that perfectly portray every aspect of body image and cater to every size from small and petite to big and beautiful. Their collections inspire body positivity and confidence as well. Most importantly, they inspire change. Which is what every store should aim to do. Because at the end of the day it’s not just about what you buy, it’s about how you feel when you wear and buy it.