[This post contains gifted items from Figleaves]
As a woman who does a 9-5 being Jen from The IT crowd, enjoys Countryfile more than she ought and who now uses Urban Dictionary on an hourly basis; I often ask myself what the ACTUAL living heck I’m doing perpetually posting partially dressed pictures on the internet.
High Waisted Bikini Briefs: Figleaves [Gifted]
Sunglasses: Marks and Spencer (Similar)
Do I do it because I enjoy the validation of strangers on the internet? No. Well, actually yes, sometimes. But that’s not the main reason. I do it because of VISIBILITY my friends.
One of the things I’m asked regularly is “Why is it so important that different bodies are represented in the media?” And it’s one of a very small list of questions I can confidently answer. Why’s that I hear you ask? Because my body IS represented. So I KNOW how important it is.
It never used to be. The 90s and noughties were a bleak time for chub bodies (With the exception of Sophie Dahl who did A LOT for me at the time). My body (the body I possessed when I wasn’t living on gin and slimming pills) was a dirty secret. I didn’t know how to hold or move or dress it. It was easier just to avoid ever having to see it. And when I did, I certainly never accepted it.
Fast forward to my mid-20s, and advertising was slowly beginning to move away from the hollow cheeked “heroin chic” of the 90s. Curvaceous (never fat) bodies were appearing under the guise of “Real women” (*Retch*) Gok Wan was dressing us. Trinny and Susanna were telling us how to hide our bingo wings (*Double retch*) It wasn’t perfect, But all of a sudden, I existed.
In 2019, as a size 18 cis white woman with a normative body shape. I’m represented all over the shop.
I will ETERNALLY value just how lucky I am. How privileged.
This visibility of diversity now needs to be pushed on so much further. For example, Seeing Trina Nicole in the recent Tu Clothing advert has been So. Fucking. Excellent. Not just because Trina looks incredible (and BOY does she) But because I just know that there will have been women around the country who saw that advert and felt the way I felt all those years ago. Beautiful, proud, validated,
SO Be visible. Stay visible. You owe it to yourself and you owe it to the person who needs to know that they exist, they are valued.
Em x
