This is a response to the Glamour.com article "The Full Story Behind the Size 18 Dress Tanya Taylor Made Aidy Bryant."
It covered how Tanya Taylor, a high-fashion designer, was the first to offer to make a custom dress, size 18, for "Saturday Night Live" cast member Aidy Bryant. The article goes over the frustrations in the world of fashion between plus-size celebrities chasing designers for clothing and designers lack of offers.
Aidy Bryant (left) is a force for comedy and her “A-list” status should not depend on something like fashion.
Apparently, custom-made dresses and new samples, made only in a size 2, are essentialin order to have A-list status. Celebrities who are not a size 2 often must wear department store dresses from the current season. This is seen as a downgrade because those outfits are not new or trendy.
It’s not only the red carpet. Bryant said she has learned to bring items from her own wardrobe when working with stylists so she doesn’t end up in what an “80-year-old woman would wear to sing at a funeral” because of the limitations of the wardrobes offered. Simply put, the clothing offered for her isn’t “cool” compared to others.
However, Bryant said the Tanya Taylor dress makes her feel "unapologetic" and good about herself when she wears it.
In the celebrity world, even though a few designers like Christian Siriano have taken action, providing larger sized clothes is an expensive risk many don’t want to take.
Why does it matter? Celebrities have the influential power to bring awareness to issues that affect us. Designers sell to retailers who sell to us.
I do not know much about the world of designer fashion but it should be more inclusive. There should be more choices available in larger sized clothing. Wikipedia categorizes plus-sizes as sizes 10-14, super size as sizes 1X-6X and extended size as 7X and up, according to PLUS Model magazine.
All body types are different and for girls who do not have the typical model body, shopping becomes a chore. I like to buy new clothes but shopping frustrates me. Sizes are not constant throughout different brands, average clothing material is not good quality, certain styles limit certain body types, and larger sized clothing lacks style and variety.
I don’t blame my body. I blame designers who make clothes intended for certain body sizes, similar to what Bryant seemed to be experiencing. Even though I cannot relate specifically to Bryant’s fashion struggle for the red carpet, it rings familiar in clothing limitations in what I can find, buy, and wear for my average college student wardrobe. We both just want to shop and wear stylish clothes and have nothing be more of a hassle compared to others.
I think it is brave what Aidy Bryant and Tanya Taylor did and spoke out about in the article to bring awareness to this issue, even though it should not have to be brave. If this is a “modern” society, why is there a sense of shame in plus-sizes or even designing for a variety of body types? It is ridiculous for me to understand that most of the plus-sizes categorized above are normal sizes that normal people wear.
This is a problem that affects all women. Clothes function for a practical purpose. They have the power to make somebody feel good about themselves and can have the opposite effect when there are limitations in fashion and shopping.