In 2005, Dove released the second and most iconic phase of its campaign for real beauty, and for a moment in time, the brand was successful in debunking the traditional ideas that only thin is beautiful. The campaign featured real women with real curves, and was designed specifically to showcase women with appearances outside the stereotypical norms of beauty (i.e. Barbie). By rebelling against the inauthentic images frequently seen in magazines, Dove sparked a movement of self-acceptance, and set the stage for plus-size progression within the retail industry. After the launch of the campaign, thousands of women visited campaignforrealbeauty.com to voice their opinions on beauty issues, including that of photoshopping in media advertisements. To see how the blemish-free, photoshopped images of slim models are constructed to give consumers a false idea of beauty, view the video below.
May of 2009 was a significant time for the plus-size market. During this month, Forever21 launched the brand's first plus-size clothing line, Faith 21, online and in select stores. The line featured tops, jeans, leggings, and skirts ranging from size 10 to 20, and offered everything from runway-inspired trends to basic wardrobe staples. After enduring the struggle of searching for fashionable, curvy-girl styles for years, many Forever21 customers were ecstatic to hear about Forever21's new plus-size line. Since the launch of Faith21, the company has renamed the line to Forever21+, and has expanded its in-store presence in an attempt to capture more sales.
Established in New York City in 2009, Full Figured Fashion week began in partnership with only 12 brands. A total of 200 guests attended the shows at three venues. with one large runway show being the center of attention. Today, Full Figured Fashion Week has over 100 partners consisting of a variety of sponsors, designers, boutique-owners, fashion bloggers, and other industry professionals. Clothing in the shows are worn by 50 of the top runway models in the country, and the event has been praised as being a bold step in support of plus-size fashion. Produced by former plus-size model Gwendolyn DeVoe, the fashion show that began as a call for change has since evolved into a breakthrough fashion event. View the images below to get a front row seat at Full Figured Fashion Week, and see for yourself. |