Look out, ladies and gentlemen, there’s a new type of blogger on the scene and they mean business! These confident, curvy and, often, extremely inspiring women are out to prove that you don’t need to look like a Victoria’s Secret model in order to look great and make a statement.
Plus size blogging isn’t a new concept; however, with more and more High Street stores and online retailers, such as Primark and ASOS, now catering for larger women, a significant rise in the blogging beauties has been seen in recent years.
These women – ranging anywhere from size 12 to the 30-somethings, have a common aim: to promote confidence and self-worth amongst their readers, as well as injecting some (often needed!) fashion sense into those who have spent years hiding away under shapeless sacks and unflattering prints.
In a bid to reclaim the word ‘fat’, thus removing some of the social stigma surrounding it, these ladies post pictures of themselves wearing the latest fashions and thrive on encouraging positive body image within their readers. Their ultimate goal would be to eradicate all forms of body-shaming, towards large and slim women alike, and live in a world where all shapes and forms are deemed beautiful and are fashionably catered for.
Plus-size bloggers have, of course, been hit with a volatile wave of criticism, with many people claiming that they are promoting and celebrating obesity. Many comments have also been made suggesting that larger women do not ‘belong’ in fashionable clothing and they should continue to cover up in Grandma’s old frocks. The most recent high-profile case of fat-prejudice came in the form of the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, who asserted that he didn’t want ‘larger people’ shopping in his store; he wanted ‘thin and beautiful people’, therefore refused to stock plus-sized clothing, despite the fact that the average waist-line is now a size 14+. Fat-prejudice comes in many forms – from the outright fat-shamers to the ‘concern’ trolls who use feigned concern over a stranger’s health as a way of masking their discernible dislike of overweight people.
Not ones to stay silent in the face of injustice, the buxom bloggers frequently hit back at the naysayers. They maintain that they do not promote an unhealthy lifestyle, they merely want to help women feel beautiful in their own skin and show them how to best dress for their figure. It seems that there is a common misconception that encouraging self-worth in overweight people equates to telling people it is good to be fat. Surely the first step in making a change to your health is being able to value yourself enough to make that change? And that is precisely what these women do – they help rectify the damage caused by low self-esteem, which can often ultimately inspire overweight women to care about themselves enough to make healthy changes.
These woman are so much more than just fashion gurus: they are not above their readers, they interact on a personal level with many insecure women who need that extra reassurance, and they endorse self-worth above all.
Whichever side you are on, there is no denying that the rise in plus-size blogging has created a revolutionary new era: one in which less confident women are finally beginning to feel like they belong and are no longer socially shunned. And, ultimately, isn’t that what we are all striving for – acceptance?