Jeans and Body Positivity: How the Industry is Embracing Diversity

Nanjiba Nur

Jeans are a fashion staple that have been around for over a century, but it’s only in recent years that the denim industry has started to embrace body positivity and diversity in terms of sizing, style, and representation. For too long, the fashion industry has catered to a narrow range of body types, leaving many people feeling excluded and overlooked. But with the rise of the body positivity movement and increasing demand for more inclusive clothing options, the denim industry is starting to change.

Body positivity is a movement that encourages people to embrace and love their bodies, regardless of shape, size, or appearance. It aims to promote self-love, self-care, and confidence in one’s own skin. Fashion, on the other hand, is a form of self-expression that allows people to showcase their personal style and creativity through clothing and accessories.

The intersection of body positivity and fashion has been a topic of discussion in recent years, as the fashion industry has historically been criticized for promoting unrealistic beauty standards and excluding people with different body types. However, there has been a growing movement towards inclusivity and diversity in fashion, with brands and designers embracing a wider range of body types and sizes in their advertising campaigns and runway shows.

Body positivity has also inspired a new wave of fashion trends that celebrate individuality and encourage people to feel comfortable in their own skin. For example, there has been a rise in the popularity of “size-inclusive” clothing lines that cater to a broader range of body types and sizes, and a growing trend towards “body-positive” fashion campaigns that feature models with diverse body shapes and sizes. Overall, the body positivity movement and fashion have become increasingly intertwined, with the fashion industry responding to the demand for greater inclusivity and diversity in its representation of beauty and style.

The body positivity movement, which started in the early 2010s, is all about accepting and celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes. It’s a response to the unrealistic beauty standards perpetuated by the media and fashion industry, which have long been dominated by thin, conventionally attractive models and celebrities. The movement has gained traction in recent years, thanks in part to social media platforms like Instagram, which have given a platform to a diverse range of body types and styles.

As the body positivity movement has grown, so too has the demand for more inclusive clothing options. In response, some denim brands have started to offer extended sizes and diverse styles that cater to a wider range of body types. For example, Levi’s has recently launched a new line of plus-size jeans that go up to size 26, and Madewell has expanded its size range to include sizes up to 3X.

But it’s not just about offering more sizes. The industry is also starting to embrace diversity in terms of style and representation. For too long, jeans have been marketed primarily to young, thin, and able-bodied consumers, with little representation of people who don’t fit into that narrow category. But that’s starting to change, with more and more brands featuring models of all ages, sizes, and abilities in their advertising campaigns.

One brand that’s leading the charge is American Eagle’s Aerie, which has made a commitment to using unretouched photos of models in its advertising campaigns. The brand’s #AerieREAL campaign, launched in 2014, features models of all shapes, sizes, and abilities, and has been praised for its inclusivity and body positivity. The brand has also launched a range of jeans that includes extended sizes and diverse styles, including cropped flare jeans and high-waisted jeggings.

Other brands are following suit. Levi’s recently featured plus-size model Tabria Majors in its 2020 holiday campaign and has also launched a range of denim hijabs in collaboration with modest fashion blogger Hoda Katebi. Madewell’s fall 2020 campaign featured a diverse range of models, including plus-size model Paloma Elsesser and transgender model Ariel Nicholson. And Universal Standard, a brand that specializes in inclusive sizing, has launched a range of denim styles that go up to size 40. Of course, there’s still a long way to go. The denim industry, like the fashion industry as a whole, has been slow to change, and there are still many brands that have yet to embrace diversity and body positivity. Plus-size models are still a rarity on the runway, and many brands still use retouched images of models in their advertising campaigns. But the fact that some brands are starting to make changes is a step in the right direction.

The rise of body positivity and the demand for more inclusive clothing options is not just a trend – it’s a reflection of a broader cultural shift. People are tired of being told that their bodies are not good enough, and they want to see themselves represented in the media and fashion industry. The denim industry has a unique opportunity to lead the way in this regard, given the ubiquity of jeans as a wardrobe.

References:

• Fashioning Fat: Inside Plus-Size Modeling by Amanda Czerniawski (2012)
• The Influence of Body Positive Instagram Posts on Women’s Appearance Self-Compassion and Body Satisfaction by Emily J. Harrison and Rachel Cohen (2021)
• Plus-Size Models in Fashion Magazines: A Content Analysis by Rachel M. Hightower and Elizabeth Dorrance Hall (2019)