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| Article here |
And then I happened to glance at the comments section on the Facebook post that shared the article, and saw this comment, which pretty much stated what I was thinking:
This isn't swimsuits for all haha. It's swimsuits for women with big hips, a narrow flat stomach, and huge boobs. That's fantastic for the folks who look that way but all of us ladies aren't that blessed.To which someone else replied,
Some people are never happy.To which _I_ replied (in my own head), "No... we're not."
I mean, as the first comment said, "That's fantastic for folks who look that way." I'm happy for THEM, but no, I'm not satisfied. No shade to Ashley Graham--I'm not picking on her--but she is essentially a larger version of the same body type that is pushed on women by the media. It's GREAT that she's larger, and there should be more representation of larger women, but her body type still only represents a small slice of the population, so we shouldn't just stop there. I am technically a smaller size than she is, but my body doesn't look like that, nor will it EVER look like that (without drastic and/or unhealthy measures), because that's just not my body type.
A quick glance at Swimsuits For All's Instagram page does indeed showcase some different body types, so I'm not here to rail against them, specifically. I'm moreso angry about the second commenter. Because, you know how why models like Ashley Graham and companies like Swimsuits For All even exist? Because SOME PEOPLE WEREN'T HAPPY. There were enough unhappy women out there, who were willing to speak up about the lack of body diversity in fashion, that modeling agencies decided to start taking a chance on women like Ashley, and SHE saw enough unhappy women looking for swimsuits that she decided to start her own line.
Good stuff happens when people decide not to settle for "good enough." Good stuff happens when we keep pushing boundaries and breaking barriers, instead of just getting complacent. Good stuff happens when we voice our unhappiness, and they are not complaints or whining, but legitimate calls for more inclusiveness and better representation. So, no, I'm not just going to "be happy."
I want to re-emphasize that I'm not hating on Ashley Graham or her company, or accusing her or them of complacency, okay? (In fact, if you are able to, please support! Show the industry that companies like hers have a demand!) It's not her/them that is making me mad; it's random members of the public (and the media too!) who want to silence those criticisms and suggestions for improving our society and culture.
I'm going to continue to fight and speak out. Until all of us who are non-mainstream (in various ways, not just because of our weight) are no longer treated as lesser-than or invisible, I'm not going to be satisfied.