‘More curves, more work’: Why the fashion industry is turning down women with big breasts.

Flexible connected to the zeitgeist, fashion is often at the forefront of innovation. With popularity Body positivity in mainstream culture And a wide representation of all Sizes on the passageIt’s little wonder that in 2022, people with large breasts often struggle to find flattering clothes.

“I wear a size 42F, which is not that big considering,” said Erica, a 34-year-old editor in New York, who has changed her name for privacy. “It’s almost impossible to get a beautiful, fitted outfit without making adjustments. I thought it was desirable to have large breasts; It’s stressful. People tell me to consider breast reduction surgery. Do you understand how sick it is? Why should I go under the knife to conform to a more acceptable body type?

Shoppers with larger busts — anything above a D cup — are frustrated by the lack of choice, especially in fitted clothing. “Big breasts suck! Kim, a 22-year-old student from Brooklyn, says it’s hard to find clothes that fit my upper and lower body. “Lack of options can hurt your self-esteem. I don’t consider myself plus-size, but when you’re in a G cup, good luck escaping that label. Beyond frustration, the lack of flattering clothing options for people with large breasts can leave them feeling marginalized and underrepresented — and invisible.

Inclusive sizing is still a big issue for the fashion industry – and one that’s complicated by broader cultural stereotypes of patriarchy and capitalism. Normal size means that all women have the same size breasts around them, which is simply not true. “The assumption really comes down to the fashion industry and the representation of what they call the ‘ideal model’, which is usually the average woman with a size 4 34B cup. [much larger]” said former model Beverly Osemwenkae.

“More curves is more work, [it’s] more complicated” Clementine Desseaux, French-born model and named “Top Ten Plus Size Model” by Vogue. Desseaux is also the founder Womxn project, a platform that supports body positivity, self-acceptance and empowerment. “It’s also a big reason why most designers only design in small sizes, and one of the reasons why the sample size is 00. It’s very simple.

Lindsay Jonesdesigner and creative assistant to Zac Posen, who sits on the board of directors New York Equity, He told HuffPost that the issue is more complicated. There is not enough money to create suitable models for every size – it is too expensive to have a suitable model. You have to pay the model, the tailor, everything involved. It is very expensive to do this for every size and body type. What we have done is scaled on the math pattern and added parameters to the proportional model using percentages to make quantities.

She explained that 00 is not a normal size and is not suitable for most people. “The more companies focus on different body types, the more successful they are [with that body type]He said. “There are so many different body types, from short and curvy to petite and curvy,” she explains. If the brand wants to focus on a body type, they will succeed if they find a model that fits that body type.

“High-end designers usually make clothes from 0 to 8 or sometimes maybe 10,” he said. Don’t laughShe divides her time between New York and London. “These styles are often designed so that they don’t always wear a bra or work best for someone with a smaller frame.” Talking about her early modeling days, she said, “Having a smaller frame in general was always preferred in the industry. Having small and perky breasts was a plus. She also explained that designers see small breasts as more youthful than large breasts.

Plus-size clothing, on the other hand, falls into one of two camps: tent-like and boxy, or overly sexualized in line with the age-old “pin-up” stereotype. “As a plus-size model, we’re expected to have a defined bust,” explains Desseau. “Flat-chested people should use ‘add-ons’ to look bigger. People who have too many may not work because the clothes simply aren’t made for them. As plus-size women, we are expected to have an hourglass shape. This is what designers design for.

There is an opinion, especially among high-end designers, that buxom breasts represent a more “vulgar, sexual” aesthetic. “Typically, there’s one way that high-end fashion designers approach the cut,” Jones said. “he is there. Herve Leger Bandage dress It is meant to look like a corset that pushes the breast up and around [the wearer] to something sexual. She said it was in vogue in the 1980s, when “big breasts were a status symbol.” Vogue published a 2022 story noting that the form is resurgent). Another direction designers take when designing around the bust is to hide cleavage, Jones explained. “Think about it An oversized Balenciaga shirt This is not to fit on the shoulder.” This look is designed to hide or cover the chest, she said.

“It’s been a long run for the industry,” he said. Don’t laugh, but lately we’ve seen women of all shapes and sizes represented on the runway. As the fashion industry makes this shift, I believe it will create positive effects, and we will begin to see more size representation and clothing for women with larger breasts. She added that to see a real shift in the types of clothing available to consumers, “we need to see more full-figured models to bring inclusivity to the industry” — the same point Jones made above.

b Desseaux, the fashion industry needs to change its approach to the female form before there can be a real change in the types of clothing available.

“I think the flexibility of sizing and making clothes that fit the ever-changing body and not the other way around is something that is lacking in our industry. No other brand does that,” Desseaux said. “That’s why I’m working on my first line, DÉSSO, which focuses on changing sizes, because every body is constantly changing, and every curve is different from one to another. We need solutions that suit us and are sustainable.”

Osemwenkhae points to similar brands Good American, Gani and Mara Hoffman create styles for women who are plus size and also have larger breasts.

Jones explains that this problem extends beyond the fashion industry into patriarchal and capitalist culture: “Sis, male-dominated industries are looking for ways to sexualize women, so they objectify women – people use fashion as an excuse to sexualize people.” ” She explains that women’s sexuality is demonized to silence them or keep them as the second sex. “In any professional situation, people expect coverage. Otherwise, they’re considered objects, right? But that’s an excuse not to listen to people equally,” she said.

So, while it’s tempting to blame the fashion industry for false claims of inclusion, consider that designers, stylists, editors, influencers, and models — the people who live in the industry — are also part of a larger capitalist culture that profits from intersectionality.