Report by Caryn Franklin
A desire to include voluptuous women in a hotly awaited runway show on the part of an innovative and highly thought-of designer name, and the concerns of a respected stylist in making sure the show was executed to her standards, have been blown out of all proportion in the past 24 hours.
The issue of unfettered female flesh is one that sends the media into meltdown. It is much bigger than one designer show, one stylist and a few larger models. I have been writing about the subject of models and size for 16 years and I still find it hard to stay cool, too.
So let us examine the facts… In recognising the opportunity that his position gives him to communicate positive messages to women about their bodies, a young designer decides that curvy women can look great in his clothes and adds three ‘plus size’ models to his line-up. It is well received.
The pictures from this show get a lot of media space, and women in Civvy Street – consumers,  not just of the end product, but also of
the emotional messaging around femininity and size – celebrate. End of story? No.
Now tabloids are turning it into a heated public debate. Misinformation is fuelling a sizeism frenzy, when what we need is not a knee-jerk reaction but simple clarity.
So here it is. As an industry we have to appreciate that models who offer a more realistic representation of women to women provoke
media-column inches precisely because they are a rarity and consumers are desperate to see them. When they become a regular feature in our magazines, in our advertising campaigns and on our catwalks, there’ll be nothing left to say. End of story.
Caryn Franklin is Co-founder of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk

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