In defiance of the fashion industry’s narrow image of beauty, Brazilian fashion model Amanda Momente poses confidently in front of the camera, wearing the clothing brand she created after being unable to find alternatives that would fit her.
More than half of people in Brazil are obese. Still, Momente is part of a growing group of activists, entrepreneurs, and models dissatisfied with a clothing industry they feel doesn’t satisfy their needs and also makes them feel ashamed of their bodies.
“Society judged me based on one thing, so I took that thing and used it… to launch my business,” says Momente, 34, wearing a black, sheer bodysuit made by Wondersize, the business she co-founded in 2017.
The former real estate agent, who wears a pink mohawk and a variety of tattoos, came up with the idea after she felt uncomfortable wearing clothes she claims were too tight and turned translucent when stretched out or tangled around her legs.
She was determined to find a sewist to help create her workout attire. It worked out so well that she decided to quit her day job and went straight into the fashion world.
The popularity of bright trendy clothing for Brazilians with prominent figures is part of a more significant world trend of rejecting unrealistic expectations of beauty, specifically for women.
“The fashion industry needs to fit our bodies, not the other way around,” says Momente.
“Identity and dignity”
The significant brands usually allocate a minimum percentage of their products to larger-sized clothing, which leaves “repressed” demand, says Marcela Liz, head of the Brazil Plus Size Association.
The plus-size market grew in Brazil by more than 75 percent during the decade from 2021 to the present. It reached sales of 9.6 billion Brazilian reais (about 1.9 million dollars) in that year, according to the organization.
It is predicted that sales will reach 15 billion reais by 2027, making it Latin America’s largest economy.
“Supply has improved, but we’re still not meeting demand,” Liz said. Liz. This month, the emerging industry was spotted in Sao Paulo at the Pop Plus fair, where independent designers showcased stunning skirts, daring T-shirts, tops with bold slogans, and other clothing in sizes ranging from 70.
“The market saw fat people as people who didn’t like fashion, who just wanted to hide their bodies,” declares Flavia Durante, an activist who launched the fair in 2012.
“We had clothes, not fashion,” she said to AFP. “Fashion isn’t just about consumption. It’s about identity and dignity.”
More work to be done
TV host and fashion model Letticia Munniz has walked down the runway at the glitzy Sao Paulo fashion week, appeared in headlines in glossy publications, and was the face of numerous advertising campaigns.
However, she believes that real inclusion is still a long way away for those who are obese and overweight in Brazil — which is 57 percentage and 22 percent of the population, respectively, in a country with 203 million people.
“Things have improved, but our work is still seen as just checking a quota box. We’re not seen as real equals,” she says.
The influencer and activist, who typically wears custom-made clothing, says she’s happy to see more plus-sized sizes on the runways. However, she says that doesn’t indicate they’re sold in shops.
She encourages her nearly one million social media followers to accept themselves for who they are.
“When you find something made to exalt your body instead of hide it, it changes everything,” she writes in a blog post. (AFP)