This Is How The Fashion Industry Is Gaslighting Us
Fashion companies are manipulating us with their take on body positivity…
Body positivity is the social movement that was created to empower women and men with plus size. In recent years, it has challenged the way societies or nations view and present people’s bodies. The movement advocates the acceptance and appreciation of all types of bodies irrespective of their size, gender, appearance, ability, and race.
Why The Fashion Industry Is Gaslighting Us?
Just like many other industries, the fashion industry is gaslighting us in one way or the other. Various celebrities or fashion models with stretch marks on their bodies or plus sizes are hired and encouraged to show their marks to the world. Why are fashion companies doing so? Well, it looks like they want us to believe that they are embracing body positivity but the truth is entirely different.
Fashion Brands That Have Tried To Manipulate People
Here are a couple of brands that are leading the way for body positivity but it is nothing more than manipulation.
- Sport England — Some time ago, it was said that UK women were not doing proper exercise and that many of them had gained weight. Sports England decided to launch a campaign called ‘This Girl Can.’ Women of all sizes, shapes, and ages were encouraged to be a part of this campaign. Taglines like ‘Feeling like a fox,’ and ‘Sweating like a pig’ were used to promote different items. The campaign worked but women who had participated in the campaign felt that their privacy was compromised. The only plus point is that they began exercising and many other females were also encouraged to keep their bodies in shape.
- Dove Campaign — Dove initiated a campaign for real beauty and acted as a barrier-breaker. Its personal care brand titled ‘Real Beauty’ launched a campaign in 2005 that was meant to promote the idea that women of all ages and sizes were beautiful. It worked well; ten females aging from 15 to 64 had participated in the campaign, and the company was not supposed to use the bodies of teenage girls to promote its products.
Promotion Through Social Media
Under every social media post of models with stretch marks or plus size bodies, there are streams of comments like ‘keep it up,’ and ‘wish you all the best.’ Most of these comments are left by the company representatives. If the fashion industry is genuinely promoting the body positive movement, then why do they need to use women’s bodies only? They can use men’s bodies too, but I have not seen a pulse size man or a guy with stretch marks on his body showing himself to the world.
Takeaway
In my opinion, these acts are nothing more than manipulation. People owning or belonging to those fashion companies should stop taking discrimination into account.