Photo: courtesy of the author
We wanted to challenge the idea that different body types shouldn’t wear the same types of clothing.
By Colleen Werner — Written on Nov 22, 2017
Last night, my best friend Lexie and I wore the same dress to a movie premiere.
We were invited to attend the NYC premiere of the documentary “Fattitude” as guests of the National Eating Disorders Association. The premiere was sponsored by and benefitting BEDA — the Binge Eating Disorder Association.
“Fattitude” was created by filmmakers Lindsey Averill and Viridiana Lieberman to bring light to the horrible discrimination faced by people living in fat bodies. The film seeks to inform people about the dangers of fat hatred and fat shaming, remove the stigma surrounding the word “fat”, and inspire viewers to make a change.
As soon as Lexie and I knew that we were both attending the premiere, we wanted to plan what we were going to wear. At one point in our conversation, Lexie said, “What if we wear the same outfit? So we can show that fat women and thin women can wear the same styles and both look great?” I loved the idea immediately. We searched for something we liked that came in both of our sizes, and we ended up deciding on a dress from ASOS.
Typically, people never want to be seen wearing the same outfit. It’s usually considered an embarrassment, and there always ends up being the debate of, “Who wore it better?”
In our case, we wanted to show that neither of us wore it better.
We wanted to challenge the idea that people of different body types shouldn’t wear the same types of clothing. We wanted to show that while my size 12 and Lexie’s size 24 are different in number, they aren’t different in beauty.
Lexie and I are both in recovery from eating disorders, and, as a result, have struggled with body image for the majority of our lives. While our bodies and some of our struggles are different, there are many things that are the same. We both wish for a world that is free from eating disorders and free from weight-based stigma. We both wish for a world where fat women and thin women alike can both wear the same styles, and not be judged for it.
Stepping into the movie theater last night dressed the same as Lexie was a really fun and powerful moment. We both loved our dress, and we were able to appreciate how we both looked without judging ourselves. I’m so proud that we are able to show the world how despite our bodies being different, we can both look amazing in the same dress. Neither of our bodies is “better” or “worse” than the other. Both of our bodies are beautiful and deserve to be celebrated.
I challenge you to think about how you view fashion in regards to body type. The next time you think, “I love her outfit, but it wouldn’t work on my body”, I challenge you to try it. Your body type doesn’t need to define your style, and Lexie and I are living proof.
Colleen is a junior at SUNY Old Westbury studying Psychology. She plans on going to graduate school for Mental Health Counseling, and she aspires to become a therapist and start an eating disorder treatment program for dancers. You can find Colleen on Instagram at @leenahlovesherself.
This article was originally published at The Huffington Post. Reprinted with permission from the author.