Have you ever been told to change your outfit because it doesn’t flatter your body shape? If you answered yes, you are certainly not alone. Clothing brand, Smart Glamour, recently launched the #ImFlattered campaign to highlight the detrimental power that the word ‘flattering’ carries. Instead of wearing clothes that we like, we are forced to dress for our body shape or risk judgment from the image obsessed society in which we live.
The #ImFlattered Twitter campaign showed various pictures of women wearing their ‘unflattering’ clothing with pride and holding signs with hurtful quotes from others about their ‘unflattering’ choice in clothing. Some of the quotes include, “Hide your arms. They’re a problem” or, “You’re too wide for sparkles.” While striving to empower women and reinstate confidence, the campaign also addresses the ironic double meaning behind the word ‘flatter.’ Smart Glamour emphasise the importance of feeling comfortable with your body and not being restricted in your wardrobe choices, aiming to eradicate negative body shaming. This ethos is displayed in their clothes and designs, which caters for women of sizes ranging from XXS- 6X.
Of course, given the rise of trends, particularly on the Internet, that promote body positive movements, it comes as no surprise that a campaign such as this is acting to change standardised opinions of beauty. One example of this is the online flack that Protein World received after they launched their “are you beach body ready?” advertising campaign. Accused of body shaming, many women posted photos of themselves standing next to the ad in bikinis, declaring yes they were beach body ready! More photos showed graffiti to the ad, editing its message to a more positive one stating that every body is always beach ready.
The action of fighting back against perceived ‘flattering/attractive’ stereotypes is a huge step in the course of exercising self-importance and acceptance. A member of the Smart Glamour campaign team said in one interview the meaning behind the movement stems from the notion that “A lot of times when the word flattering is used, it just means ‘that makes you look thin,’ or, ‘that hides a part of your body I don’t want to see,’ and I think that’s really problematic.”
The women in the photos look happy and confident because they’re wearing clothes they feel comfortable in, instead of what they’re told is more ‘flattering’. So wear your crop tops even if you don’t have a washboard stomach, or wear a halter-top even if you’ve been told your shoulders are ‘too broad.’ Wear the clothes you want to wear, because our opinion of beauty cannot be dictated by the narrow scope of strangers. While this campaign is undoubtedly a turn in the right direction we at SCAN believe it’s important to emphasise that the only true opinion that matters; is your own.
