Recently I was emailed by a company who were trying to pitch their new Fashion app to me. The app is designed for bloggers or influencers (blaahhh that word!) To share their outfits and places to buy them with their followers. The app has been marketed with the slogan ‘An app for women of size”. Sigh. There’s a few things I have to say about this so fasten your seatbelts and grab a vodka or something. This is going to get a bit rough..
EVERY WOMAN HAS A SIZE!!!
Can you tell I'm annoyed? Those exclamation marks... Let me just point out the most obvious part of this marketing disaster. Every woman has a size. Whether you’re a size 2 or a size 22, every woman has a ‘size'. What is it they say? Casting a shadow on someone will never make you shine brighter! Society already tries to pit one Woman against another, I don't fancy joining an app that encourages it. I’m not sure who thought of the concept or who is in charge of the marketing/pr for the app, but it’s went down about as well as a vinegar donut. Not well at all in case you didn’t know... FASHION SHOULD BE INCLUSIVE NOT EXCLUSIVE For as long as I can remember, I’ve been plus size. All I’ve ever wanted from the Fashion industry is to feel included, to have more Fashion available in sizes across the board so that I can express myself the same as other women can. This also applies to Women who are very slim, Petite, Tall or Short. I remember last year, I referred to slim people as 'skinny' and it was pointed out to me by the very lovely Victoria from InTheFrow that this was equally offensive as being called 'fatty'. (she worded it much nicer than me, shockingly, I'm not good with the words haha!). It really made me think about the way I talk about my Sisters, and made me realize that no Woman deserves to be categorised with a demeaning word and me calling someone 'skinny' is equally as derogatory as 'society' calling me 'fat'. The fashion industry has come a long long way in recent years. It still has a lot to learn (like low plunge tops with no built in bra.. come on! I don’t fancy getting nipple burn from the carpet thanks!) This app is like going back in time, where skousers were a thing, long before Trump was president and much longer before the UK was being dragged out of the EU by the short and curlys. DIVISION HAS NO PLACE IN 2018 This applies partly to the app and to society in general. This nonsense of trying to make certain women feel more superior than other women is ridiculous. If a ‘standard sized’ business or person said ‘only standard sized women can use this app’ then there would be a huge uproar. I don’t know any plus size woman who wants to feel superior to other women which is why an app like this has no place in modern society. We’ve worked hard to get to this point in feminism. For me the app is divisive and has no place in the industry. Maybe we can throw the app in the bin alongside halo brows and magnetic eyelashes? At the end of the day we are all women and we don’t need an app to further aid division. It’s 2018, and never before has there been so much unity amongst women.In case you couldn't tell, I won't be joining the app. You might have noticed I haven't named the app - anyone who wishes to know can ask me privately and I will gladly answer, but I don't want to give it publicity by naming it on my blog. Even bad press is press..
What do you think? Am I being a bit harsh?
H x
