The Sunday Review
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Now that the Fall-Winter 2023 catwalks have been disassembled, it’s clear one trend It was more prevalent than any trend towards ruffles or pleated skirts.
There was an apparent scarcity of models in plus sizes on the runways at New York, London and Paris. It is a controversial topic, as there are currently five prescription-only injectables that can suppress appetite in the US. A sixth, Rybelsus oral pills, has also been approved. Two are officially approved in the UK — the largest influx of weight loss medication seen in the country in almost a decade.
In recent months, injectables such as Wegovy and Ozempic — which share the same active ingredient, semaglutide — have been widely reported as Hollywood’s worst-kept weight loss secret. Ozempic’s primary use is for Type 2 diabetes. Comedian Chelsea Handler claimed her “anti-aging doctor just hands (Ozempic) out to anybody” When appearing on a podcast In January. Even Elon Musk tweeted Wegovy was on the news last year.
The Fall/Winter runways of 2023 were a stark contrast for many fashion commentators, and advocates of diversity. They saw them as a sharp contrast with the progress (even if limited) and the heady promises made in recent seasons. Style media have criticized the rollback in this way. Its potential impact has been assessed in a broader sense: The pursuit of size zero, with the advent of weight loss remedies is no longer a far-fetched dream.
Jill Kortleve & Paloma elsser will be the new faces of 2020. first models outside of a sample size To walk the runway for Italian fashion house Fendi. A sample size is usually between US sizes 0-4 British label Erdem entered the plus-size market The company will expand its size range to include a UK 22 or US 18 in 2021. In January 2022 Valentino will offer a UK size 22 (or US size 18). made headlines The show’s haute couture featured an array of different body types. But this season, there was a visible lack of curve bodies on their runways — or many others.
The Sunday Review reached out to Fendi but received no response. Erdem also declined comment.
Tagwalk’s fashion search engine reports that mid- and plus-size model numbers have dropped by 24 percent compared to the Spring-Summer of 2023. Size inclusivity was also the subject of a report by Vogue Business Found that 95.6% all looks shown for Fall-Winter were size US 0-4. Plunkett Research, a market research firm in the industry, estimated that 68% American women wore a size US 14 or above.
“It was a definitive backslide,” Mina White of IMG, the model agency that represents Elsesser Ashley Graham and other plus-size models. “It was frustrating to see some of these designers not using curved bodies where they had in the past.” The Sunday Review reached out to Fendi and Valentino, but neither responded. Erdem refused to make any comments.
“Watching somebody like Ashley Graham attend the front row for so many of these major houses in full looks (provided by the designer), it was frustrating,” White continues. “They wanted to utilize her image and her social following to command a certain space in the market, but they didn’t want to be reflective on their runways.”
Even the word “term” can be offensive to some. “backslide” It was too generous. “Slipping back from… what? A glorious time when the average American woman (size 16) was as present on the runways as she is in everyday life? A time when fashion ads cast as many ‘plus-size’ and ‘mid-size’ women as ‘straight-size’ women?” Amy Odell, fashion journalist Amy Odell writes in her Substack newsletter of this past season’s runways. “No one needed any data to understand that representing a wide array of body shapes and sizes in runway shows or in fashion imagery is not a priority for the industry.”
That said, a handful of — mostly smaller — brands pushed ahead this season. In London, emerging labels Di Petsa, Karoline Vitto and Sinead O’Dwyer showcased lineups of size-diverse models. Inclusivity at Christian Siriano, Coach, Kim Shui, Collina Strada and Bach Mai stood out in New York; while in Paris, Belgian brand Esther Manas — a consistent flag-bearer for size diversity — staged one of the city’s most refreshing runways with an assortment of fun, sensual, feminine looks that complimented a range of bodies.
Also, there were a handful of models that fit the mid- and large-size category. Michael Kors featured some plus-size and medium-size models. At Harris Reed’s debut for Nina Ricci, Precious Lee opened the show — which also featured three more plus- and mid-size models.
Sample size garments and fashion samples are unique pieces made prior to mass production, usually for use during runway shows. The same sample size is prioritized for the same body type. runway Models are interchangeable and save fashion houses money in the event that someone drops out of a show or gets sick.
It’s also partly why, according to White, casting curve models is still an uphill battle. White says that she presents new models to brands months before the launch date. runway Season, their measurements are clearly visible and easily readable in every correspondence. “I want to be ahead of that,” White said. “So I’m never told ‘Oh, we wanted to make it work, but we didn’t have her size’ or whatever that conversation might look like.”
But despite her efforts, she says she’s frequently told it’s too much of a “financial lift” to make larger samples — even by legacy brands. “I get very upset when brands say that,” White said. “I don’t believe that it is, I believe that it’s people not being properly educated on how to do this right.”
Beyond the lack of representation, White notes it’s painful for plus-size consumers to watch brands leverage resources to create custom, made-to-fit pieces for celebrities — all the while claiming the pot is empty for more inclusive runway samples.
Francesca Burns, a London-based editor and stylist, agrees that sample sizes can be a problem. In 2020, Burns became a viral sensation after posting on Instagram about an Instagram fashion project gone wrong. She says she was sent five looks to style from Celine, none of which fit the size UK 8 (US 4) model booked for the shoot— an 18-year-old on her first job in the business. It was a traumatic experience for her “horrified,” Burns told The Sunday Review, recalling what she saw as the model’s shame and embarrassment. “Looking into this girl’s eyes,” Burns said, “she shouldn’t have felt like that.”
Burns’ post, which called the current system “unacceptable,” The fashion press picked it up. Celine, when reached by The Sunday Review declined to comment. “Ultimately, the desire to see change has to be there,” Burns said. “And I wonder whether luxury has that desire?”
Although progress is slow, it has not been nonexistent. There is an increasing enthusiasm for inclusion in fashion campaigns, magazines and editorials. “I see the options rolling in for the plus-sized talent, and they’re great offerings,” White, said “Great, strong editorials and covers and campaigns. But I do feel like without the clothes, we are going to go back to see more naked curve stories, or lingerie curve stories or a curve girl in a trench coat. That’s what I don’t want.”
The following are some of the ways to improve your own ability. British Vogue’s April issueElsesser Lee Jill Kortleve and Lee Jill Kortleve, who were unveiled on March 16th, have been dubbed “The New Supers.” Edward Enninful’s letter commending models is placed before the cover. “leading the way” Holding “powerful space” The industry.
“Catwalks are once again under scrutiny for a stark lack of body diversity,” read the magazine’s Instagram captionThe cover is revealed. “But this cover was not conceived as a statement. It is a crowning of an all-powerful trio, the supermodels for a new generation.”
Many online pointed out that the dresses aren’t available in plus-size sizes.
He is a own social media postEnninful has written about his disappointment with the Fall-Winter runways 2023. “I thought I had gotten into a time machine. Show after show dominated by one body type, so many limited visions of womanhood… one prescribed notion of beauty prevailed again, and it felt like the reality of so many women around the world were being ignored.”
But for White, the power rests within the entire industry — not just at the feet of brands. “I really do believe there should be an industry standard between the (Council of Fashion Designers of America), the British Fashion Council and key editors at some of these major mass market magazines,” She went on. “If there was a call-to-action from these figureheads saying, moving forward samples need to be readily available for a few different body types, we would see significant and impactful change.”
Burns is in agreement that there has to be a trickle down effect. “I think a lot of responsibility is put on young designers to solve all these issues around sustainability or issues around body inclusivity,” She said “It’s important that the big powerhouses, which have the capacity to action change, really take some responsibility.”
On March 8, Wegovy — developed primarily as a treatment for those living with obesity and weight-related conditions — was approved in the UK. It’s the second injectable weight management medication to be made available with a prescription via the country’s National Health Service (NHS) in about 3 years, after almost a decade of quiet. In the UK, before 2020, weight loss medications were last approved in 2010.
Similarly, in the US three weight-management injections have now been approved. These are Wegovy Saxenda IMCIVREE. FDA does not approve the weight-loss effects of medications for type-2 Diabetes like Mounjaro, Ozempic and others. Some doctors do however prescribe these drugs at their discretion.
Although these drugs are revolutionary for those struggling to lose weight because of genetic or medical issues, there is a risk that they will be misused.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient of Wegovy, Ozempic and was initially developed to treat Type-2 Diabetes. It suppresses brain signals of hunger by simulating the hormone GLP-1. “It can slow how quickly your stomach empties out and may give you a little more feeling of feeling full,” Robert Lash is an endocrinologist in Washington D.C. and the Chief Medical Officer for Endocrine Society. Over 68-weeks, in clinical trials, those who took the drug along with reducing their calorie intake and increasing physical activity saw an average weight loss of about 3.5 pounds. lost around 15% of their body weight According to Novo Nordisk, 2.4% used a placebo.
In a press release dated March 13, 2013, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a statement Doctors should give priority to diabetics when prescribing medication. “Any other use, including for weight management, represents off-label use and currently places the availability of Ozempic for the indicated population at risk,” Please read the following release.
Doctors typically only prescribe these appetite suppressants to patients with a BMI above 27 and another weight-related disorder like diabetes, high blood sugar or hypertension. Westerners have been talking about these injectables. New York Times covered the topic in January. “Ozempic Face,” The term was coined in New York by a dermatologist, who treated several patients suffering from a hollowed appearance. This can be caused by rapid weight loss. The medication was featured on the front cover of New York Magazine’s titled “The New York Magazine Cover”. “Life After Food?” The ads for GLP-1 are not even blanketing New York City subway stations.
On social media, in online forums, or private chat rooms, people seeking to shed weight primarily to achieve a more aesthetic look are trying to find a way around these requirements.
“I was just looking for a way to lose a few pounds, like 10 to 15 at most,” One 30-year old American woman who asked to remain unnamed, said this in a recent phone interview. She searched social media sites and online forums to find advice on how to obtain a weight-loss drug. “I’m certainly a normal BMI, I just have a trip to Mexico coming up and I want to look really good,” She said
Even though she claims she was able to get Wegovy through her insurance, she chose not to take the drug after looking at the price (which is more than $1000 a month). “I’ve always very much fit the societal standard but lately I was just like f*ck it, I want to be skinny,” The Sunday Review reported that she spoke to them.
Dr. Lash said that it is important to only take weight-loss drugs under the supervision of a doctor and with a prescription. “If somebody was a normal weight and they took this drug because they thought they could be even thinner than they are now, that could lead to complications,” The Sunday Review reported that he warned of symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. “These drugs are not benign, they do have side effects involving the GI tract. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Fashion has long promoted size 0 as the ultimate virtue — regardless of its viability for many people, or any health risks. With the availability of weight-loss medications that accelerate the process, the stakes have never been higher. Burns and White believes that the beauty industry has a responsibility to promote a more inclusive view of beauty.
“There’s a very archaic way of looking at women over a size 16 and just assuming that they’re unhealthy or uneducated or unstylish. Or don’t have the resources to buy into luxury,” White, said “The reality is the same women these brands are alienating in their fashion space are the same women running out to buy their handbags, shoes, perfumes, cosmetics and skincare.”
White said that not only should designers create clothes for this market, they also need to make sure the clothing is visible on them. runway, too.
“It shouldn’t be a conversation. It should just be normalized that we’re not just looking at a single view of beauty,” Burns echoed Burns.
Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, whose bridal-inspired Fall-Winter 2023 collection was one of this season’s most size-diverse runways, summarized it best in their accompanying show notes: “The body is not the subject. Because, obviously, at a wedding, everybody is invited. And all to the party. That is where the designer duo Ester and Balthazar take their stand.”
