4 minute read
Curves Ahead
Meet the Canadian Curvies, four Toronto-based models paving the way to a more inclusive world for curvy women everywhere.
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If you search for the #bodypositive hashtag on Instagram, the results clock in at over 3 million posts. The Magnitude of activity is similarly staggering for #plussize with over 2 million search results. The message is clear women on all shapes and sizes are using the world's fastest growing social media platform to carve out a space to make themselves heard. With all that noise -- not to mention clear consumer demand for inclusively-sized clothing--why is the fashion industry so slow to catch up? The Canadian Curvies are demanding answers.
Yolanda May Largie, Sarah De Melo, Daniela Lombardi, and Catherine Field—the models behind The Canadian Curvies project—fittingly came together with the help of social media. Sarah stumbled across Catherine’s posts and the two became fast friends after trading career advice and modeling for the same clothing boutique. “Later on Yolanda was added to the group. Finally, we all met Daniela—and thank goodness we did. Once she arrived, everything just made sense and we knew that we had a diverse, different, and ambitious group of women that could do more for the body-positive community,” says Sarah. Their mission was simple. With plus size models vastly underrepresented in the fashion industry, The Canadian Curvies wanted to shine a spotlight on curvy bodies and encourage self-love. “We believe that beauty starts from the inside out and that confidence is the most beautiful thing a woman can wear. Your size, your age, and the number on the scale do not define you,” Daniela says. Yolanda adds, “to me, the term ‘plus size’ is just another label.”
When the project was born in July of 2017, the group was determined to tap into the alreadyblossoming curvy community on Instagram. They knew most women didn’t recognize themselves in the flawless, impossibly proportioned models of traditional campaigns (a study in 2016 found that the average American woman wears between a size 16 to 18). “In the age of Snapchat, retouching apps, and the Pinterest-perfect social realm, it occurred to me that people are at risk of losing touch with how they actually look and that they only seem to like the person that they see through filters and edits,” says Catherine.
The Canadian Curvies were compelled to dream up a photoshoot that would not only mark the launch of their project but change the conversation of body-image norms. The resulting images, inspired by Ashley Graham’s Swimsuits For All campaign, “capture four women loving and accepting who they are. Rolls, cellulite, and perfect imperfections,” says Daniela. The shoot was unfiltered, unretouched, and unapologetic; its impact was instant. With likes, followers, and media buzz rolling in, The Canadian Curvies solidified themselves as body positivity activists making waves in the Instagram landscape.
For all four women, becoming role models for body confidence was less immediate. “Learning to love yourself is a journey that I still and probably will always battle,” admits Yolanda. “Growing up always being labelled as the biggest and not fitting in was tough for me.” Daniela’s memories are similar: “I grew up in a time where there was no representation of bodies like mine in the media. I had magazines and I can tell you that they did not have women like me grace their pages.” Catherine recalls how she recently bought a pair of tear-away pants not because she needed them, but “because when I was 13 and they were the it thing, I couldn’t find a pair that fit my thick thighs.” It’s a familiar-sounding anecdote for countless women—how finding clothing that fits can feel indescribably encouraging. “It’s life-changing to have equal access to clothing,” she says. She thinks back to when the idea of designers accommodating women beyond a size 10 was laughable; nowadays is another story. Take Canadian designer Lesley Hampton’s show during Toronto Women’s Fashion Week in October, where Daniela was one of five plus size models to walk the runway. “Lesley brought diversity full force to her show,” Daniela says. It’s no coincidence that the slow but steady rise of diversity in fashion has come about in the Instagram era. “Social media has opened up the door for plus women and inclusivity in the fashion world.”
Without question, The Canadian Curvies are breaking down as many of these doors as they can and welcoming other women in while they do it—they are no untouchable influencers out of reach to anyone scrolling their feed. “We have a special relationship with our followers,” Catherine says. She describes a message they received from a woman who claimed how following their page had completely changed her own vision of her body. “It’s messages and comments like this that encourage us to continue building this project.” Sarah also points out how their regular #WCW posts (starring everyone from fellow models to Real Housewives of Toronto star Roxy Earle) are integral to building a connection with their followers. “It’s the foundation of our mission,” she says. “We want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin!” Catherine agrees. “[The Canadian Curvies] is bigger than us and I think that is the most impactful part,” she explains. “It’s not about us. It’s about the girls, boys, women, and men that we impact with the project.”
That potential impact is all the motivation The Canadian Curvies need to push forward with their project. “We are going full steam ahead!” says Daniela. With shoots and initiatives scheduled well into 2018, their body-positive movement is only picking up speed. Sooner or later, the fashion industry won’t have a choice but to do one thing: keep up. █
