So Vogue UK magazine has published a piece about how cleavage and boobs are out of fashion.
Sure they may have meant that fashions that make cleavage and boobs the focus, but I have an issue with a mass market magazine telling us that the way a body part appears can be in or out of fashion.
As a woman with an ample rack (and former really large boobs) I know that whatever the fashion, when you have big boobs, they are always a focus.
A high cut top makes them look huge, a low cut top makes them look slightly smaller, but still the focus.
There is just not getting away from this fact.
We can’t just decide that we’ll have small ones cos that’s the current trend this month (or smaller or larger booty, thighs, calves, arms, stomach etc. etc. etc….). Body parts are off limit to fashion trends. And equally so for women with small boobs who are told they need big ones…
#decembervogue saying breasts can go out of style is so very damaging in a world where women are already struggling daily to love themselves
— Emma Trueba (@emmactrueba) November 2, 2016
It’s not like a bell sleeve or a skater skirt going out of fashion. This is a body part that most of us have little control over its size, shape and appearance. We dress it in what we can find (and when you have boobs, it can be hard to even find clothes to fit …. thankfully you can find some tips on where to find clothes to fit your ample cleavage here).
That “the tits will not be out for the lads” in the upcoming fashions does not account for all the women who have breasts that aren’t “out for the lads” they just are there … when you have a larger bust, you can’t hide it. Sorry Vogue but most women aren’t actually dressing for anyone but themselves (or if anyone, their style sisters).
Vogue UK asks “Is cleavage over?” the answer is no. Cleavage will never be over as it’s a natural part of bodies.
So like, are we all supposed to just pack our tits away in an under the bed storage bin until they’re trendy again, or…? #DecemberVogue https://t.co/RuSDwB4J00
— Ari (@ellevenses) November 2, 2016
So Vogue – no more body shaming, a UK study showed that only 50% of women feel confident in their beauty. You are not helping this issue! When will the mass media start to be supportive rather than negative about women’s bodies? Most of the trashy magazine covers have constant comment on celebrity bodies – they’ve either put on weight, lost weight – too fat, too skinny. And then you tell us we must wear some fashion trend that can only be made to look good my a small percentage of the population.
Why can’t the mass media tell us that we’re “just right”? And why do we have to follow all the latest fashions anyway? (Oh, that’s right, cos you sell lots of advertising and if you weren’t pushing the latest fashions then nobody would advertise and you wouldn’t exist).
Fashion should not be a source of punishment over something we have no control.
There is no one fashion that suits every body. So let’s have more variety, more acceptance and more love for all the bodies, not just the one’s deemed right by a fashion magazine.
What I know is that women of all shapes, sizes and ages can look fabulous and feel confident and learn to love their bodies. They can dress in a way that expresses their unique personality (way more important than the latest trend) and enjoy their lives, rather than shying away from opportunities because they don’t feel confident or good enough.
Further Reading
Brilliant Tricks of the Clothing Magician – How to Highlight and Camouflage for Figure Flattery
Sew Mindful – Podcast Interview – Using Style Lines To Flatter Your Figure
I can just see the women where I live, in Southern California, running to the doctor to have their breasts reduced ?.
and then enlarged again?
Yes, people of all shapes and sizes are attractive. I never lost from the fullest part of my bust from diet/exercise or my breast milk drying up. I got a breast reduction last year mainly due to the breathing problems (my larger bust rested on my lungs and didn’t allow them to fully expand) as constant and oftentimes debilitating spine pain. Alas at my largest I was a 34KK and post reduction I am back down to a 34H so I’m still on the large side. I was hoping to be down to a a 34G at least and ideally a 34D (I was that size in my late teen years and it’s still the size I usually am in my dreams) which is what balances with my hips. At least my breathing problems and spine pain are gone now. Also I finally fit sports bras again.
Wow, it’s good you can breathe. I know my surgeon said you can always have another one in a few years if you want!
Awesome post Imogen! So glad I found your blog, I haven’t bothered with Vogue and the like ever since!
Hi I live in London and have followed fashion for years. For some unknown reason fashion is no longer fun. The fashion houses all bring out the same thing about how women should dress as men. It’s all about clothes that suite 6 foot tall people and nobody else. Most of the stuff they try to sell us would suite my adult son rather than me. I have turned away from fashion, given my wardrobe a jolly good weeding, and am concentrating rather on quality. Polyester is not a quality fabric. My new fabric rule is no more polyester. Qaulity fabrics do add that something extra when you no longer know where to turn for inspiration. Thanks for a lovely blog.
It is a mystery to me how fashion magazines can even exsist, much less have longevity. Perhaps that is why
they write such ludicrous articles–for the controversy. It is also a mystery to me why garment manufacturers want to cling to the idea of Fast Fashion, when they so quickly devalue their own product. This does not seem to me to be a model for business success. I am not so ignorant that I don’t understand the world of retail and that a seller must create a demand for their product. But seriously, just build a better mousetrap…etc. I just saw a video featuring Vivenne Westwood at fashion week in Paris. Her style has always meant to shock, provoke, etc., but in the video, the poor model wearing the “avante-gard” shoes could not even safely walk in them, and fell twice on the runway. That will make me want to run out and get a pair.
Excellent post.
A total shock for me to read.