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Diversity on Catwalks: A Remedy for Toxic Beauty Standards
Over the years, diversity on the catwalk has become a growing theme to challenge beauty standards in the fashion industry. Models have always been a reflection of the ideal shape, size, height, and colour that societal norms have reinforced. Since a young age I have always been inspired by fashion and catwalks, I admired the looks of many models and dreamed that only one day I could be as beautiful. Needless to say, the models I desired to look like were thin, tall and mostly white. I am not tall nor as thin, surely this was harmful to the way I see myself at the age of 14? If I…
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The Fashion Industry & Diversity: What’s the Deal?
In the past, fashion was centered around painfully thin models. Brands looked for the same body shapes with almost no diversity shown. The fit models that we saw online appeared to follow that same criteria. The industry showed no representation of the average body shape and it was hard to relate to for many women. We were once surrounded by a manipulated portrayal of beauty. Women were encouraged to believe that there was only one perception of the perfect body shape. The body shape that flooded adverts, campaigns and runways was a far cry from the that of the average female. The industry had almost prevented us from accepting ourselves.…
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Fashion and Feminism’s Love Affair and the Truth behind their connection
If you’re a forward-thinking individual, then you would never question whether a feminist is able to wear a cute dress whilst taking to the streets to advocate for gender equality. Fashion and feminism’s love affair runs deep and strong. But there has been a contentious debate of feminism and fashion being two separate entities. So, is it possible to be a self-defined-feminist and a have a passion for fashion at the same time? What is Feminism? To understand the conversation around feminism and fashion, we have to look at the definition of feminism for context. Feminism is the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. Many institutions…
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Will fashion ever be truly genderless?
In this article we’ll be investigating whether or not genderless fashion is just a trend, or whether it’s here to stay. While gender-fluidity can seem like quite a recent topic, it can be traced back to 1824. Hidden in the forests of Indiana, a small town called New Harmony was founded. In this town, both men and women could wear shirts and trousers. But how could one small town revolutionise gendered clothing while the rest of the world was trapped in rigid gender-stereotypes for the next 150-200 years? How has vintage and second-hand clothing changed gendered clothing? Now that sustainability is becoming a huge part of life for all of…
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Will gender neutral fashion ever truly be mainstream?
Gender neutral clothing is a movement that is slowly being absorbed into mainstream fashion labels, as more information is discovered and revealed in terms of gender fluidity. But will it ever become the norm? With the release of Zara and H&M’s gender neutral clothing lines we see a shift in marketing from some of the world’s largest clothing conglomerates. As acceptance and equality continues to grow we could be steadily approaching a tipping point in the world of fashion. Odd Sizing The concept of male and female clothing, although primarily based around sizing, is an odd one. In many cases you are able to find the same piece of clothing…
