How Fashion Brands Are Doing Away With Body-Policing
If what you wear affects who you are, then it’s clear that fashion brands play a huge role in how we see ourselves. Brand sizes inevitably dictate who can and cannot wear certain clothes, subconsciously setting hierarchical standards within the industry.
In response to this, fashion brands everywhere are doing away with traditional sizing and fighting back against the idea that certain bodies belong in certain clothes (and vice versa).
Body-policing 101
Body-policing acts are done in an effort to make women’s bodies more “socially appropriate”, whether it be through catcalls or enforcing dress codes. Body-policing affects females of all ages. The Roanoke County School Board recently approved a fairer, more gender-neutral dress code in response to the assertion that school dress codes tend to use language that targets female students. This gender-neutral dress code foregoes referring to bra straps and skirt lengths, a trend that’s unfortunately still prevalent in many schools across the nation.
The Classix editorial piece on swimwear emphasizes that the fashion industry still has a ways to go when it comes to body-policing. The article goes on to suggest that high waist swimsuits can actually be interpreted as body-policing and that the prevalence of such styles implicitly suggests that plus-sized women can wear bikinis if they hide their bellies.
Solving the problem
It appears that body-policing is still a problem precisely because it’s so hard to define. What is liberating to some may not be liberating to others; where some women might find the idea of plus-sized swimwear a welcome change, others might still argue that there’s more work to be done.
That said, a lot of brands are nevertheless taking it upon themselves to redefine who can wear what. Body-positivity and diversity are answers to body-policing, as they allow for more representation within the fashion industry.
Universal Standard’s emphasis on basic dressing and universally flattering cuts create a sense of equality through clothes that look good on all body types. The selection of shorts by Woman Within dispels the idea that inclusive sizes mean frumpy clothing, proving that stylish garments are not restricted to specific body types. On the other hand, Old Navy's return to plus size clothing has also been met with positive feedback. With their extended sizing, they can now meet the demand of changing consumer demands.
Indeed, even sizing systems can either enforce or challenge body-policing. On the one hand, we now have brands like Good American that do away with traditional sizing (despite the middling reviews of the clothes themselves). Meanwhile, for every body-positive brand there are at least two or three that operate with the Abercrombie & Fitch mentality that peddle to a specific target market – despite the recent attempts by the brand to shake off their disastrous, ‘cool kids only’ past.
More strides to be made
Jejune’s interview with model Tara Lynn shows how beauty standards are changing, but the fashion world has been slow to keep up. Where fashion brands fail, activists, models, and even athletes are calling out brands that shame women’s’ bodies. Tennis legend Billie Jean King took to Twitter to denounce the French Open’s dress code, which was made in response to Serena Williams donning a catsuit during a match. Fortunately, she's just one of many public personalities using their platform for the better. It’s these loud voices that are heralding a new era where women’s bodies are finally free from close scrutiny.
