Inclusion and representation have always been a necessity when bringing people together but very few people touch upon this, even when put into a position of influence. In many cases the opposition argues that we should just enjoy the content or existence of something rather than focussing on it’s relativity. What this is, is a complete dismissal of representation entirely and a rejection of those individuals who cannot relate. The most important aspect of Odyssey itself is its compassion towards representation because not only is it an inclusive community, it also welcomes compromising opinions of opposed individuals.
What I wanted to address was this online outburst of such inclusion that I have been blessed to be a part of this year. With all the hatred that is being projected recently around the world it's healing to see this progressive nature starting to bud. We have not only seen drastic changes for gender inclusiveness or absence of but also real racial representation addressing both colorism and culture. In many instances in what we deem to be social media nonsense lives content that appreciates and values these differences that society had ignored for all its history.
I see the beauty of difference all around me and how we embrace these differences that creates an unquestionable similarity woven through us all. In our acceptance to dismiss these social norms for a more inclusive way of life we accept difference and simultaneously reject it making it a factor that never really had to exist in the first place. When I see on my twitter feed the prosperity of a plus size model, Diana Veras, a model who actually fits the description of plus size, whose hair with such explosive curls has no barriers makes me extremely proud because I can relate, I can feel that representation from her that projects the feeling of prosperity and possibilities onto me as well. Even clothing brands that she also features in had started to alter their traditions and have started catering towards more plus sized or all inclusive body shapes. In Aerie's unretouched campaign they challenge supermodel standards for young women and shows us the reality that airbrushing won’t.
She is not the only person that uses their influential platform to give awareness of this lost representation, in Christian Louboutin’s 2016 Nude Flats reveal, he presents to us the beauty of encompassing and embracing all skin colors while allowing the definition of a nude shoe to actually be applied to all skin tones. Rather than embracing the eurocentric beauty that has been adored throughout the ages of the fashion industry he sheds light on the obvious and ever present beauty that lives in all people and especially people of color. As I do find this progressiveness to be entirely welcoming there is still so much more to do to break down these societal walls that are embedded in a corrupted normalcy and with this create a place of acceptance entirely enveloped in the politically correct, culturally correct, and realistically correct diverse representation of people.
