Have you ever wondered why clothing brands only use smaller models to promote clothes? It’s no secret that the fashion industry favors a specific body type over all others, which is why it’s remarkably refreshing to see what Rum + Coke is doing. The fashion brand decided to only hire plus-size models to promote the clothes.
So why did designer Courtney Smith decide to use plus-size models in her photo shoots? She told Refinery 29 the following:
“I put women of color and ‘larger’ women in my photo shoots for many reasons. One, because I believe in the multiplicity of beauty, and two, there are so many women who seldom see women who look like them in advertisements.”
This is more than just a ploy to be different, however. Consider that, as Cosmo reports, most brands choose smaller models – even when advertising plus-size clothing! The pictures from Rum + Coke don’t just work because the clothes are beautiful (they are) or because the models are attractive (also true); it’s because the clothes are shown on the women who would actually wear them in real life.
Smith also told Refinery 29 that she wants women “to be their most beautiful selves.” She’s working to battle all the negative messages that women hear: “You’re not thin enough, you’re not young enough, you’re not light enough.”
Instead of peddling the belief that women “are inadequate unless they change something about themselves or purchase this or that,” Rum + Coke aspires to send a different type of message: “You, woman, are enough. [Women] are beautiful in whatever package they come in.”
Want more good news? The brand offers their clothing in sizes small through 3X. If you want to support Rum + Coke, you can shop the brand’s products here.
article by claire biggs via act.mtv.com
October 6, 2024