Rebel Wilson’s Bringing Body Positivity to Fashion
Photo: Collage by Stephanie Jones
Rebel Wilson may be best known for scene-stealing in films like Bridesmaids and the Pitch Perfects, but she’s also acted as a body positive advocate, encouraging women to accept themselves for who they are. Now, she’s using her sensibility sartorially by collaborating with Torrid (think Forever21 specifically for women sized 12 to 28) on a capsule collection that will launch in late 2015.
“I’ve had a ‘torrid’ affair with buying clothes all my life. I’ve never really felt like there’s a brand out there in the plus size world that is creating cool stuff, that fits well and is good quality yet affordable. It’s really only been in the last few years that I’ve seen companies try,” the actress said in a statement. “So it was awesome to team with Torrid, who I think are doing such a great job in making plus size fashion relevant and dope. I’ve been loving designing the clothes for my capsule collection. I’ve been putting my unique style and personal loves into the clothing and literally can’t wait for the collection to launch!”
And she’s right. While in the past there’s been a deficit of fashionable options for anyone larger than a size 10, brands have finally learned that women bigger than a sample size also like to wear colors, patterns, sexy silhouettes, and more. Companies such as Lane Bryant and Target have changed their marketing messages and products to conform to what customers actually want, while lines such as Torrid, ELOQUII, and ASOS Curve have become successful based on filling a market gap.
The few celebrities and actresses that aren’t a size zero have actually played a major part in not only bringing attention to the cause, but also in helping to shape it. Melissa McCarthy, who actually went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and studied clothing and textiles, has created a collection of casual sportswear for fall 2015 with Gerard Guez’s Sunrise Brand. “[I’ve been] every size on the planet. I have experience dressing me as a 6, a 12 and more. And when you go above a size 12, you don’t lose your love of fashion,” she told WWD. Candice Huffine, Pirelli calendar girl and Carine Roitfeld muse, recently partnered with Italian brand Elena Mirò for #LovedByCandice, a seven-piece range of trendy items.
Rebel Wilson’s added perspective into the small (but expanding) pot will be a welcome one, especially considering her outspokenness on the body positivity. At the MTV Movie Awards, she changed out of her black and hot pink Adrianna Papell caped dress and into into leather leggings with “THINK” bedazzled on the butt, a beaded bra with fringe, large white angel wings, and black winged sneakers taking a jab at Victoria’s Secret. “Even though they’re called models, they’re not the best people to model themselves after. I’d like to encourage other girls to think that way, which is why I put that on my butt. Because it’s really about what’s up here [pointing to her head] and not what’s here [then pointing to her butt].“
If any of that attitude gets injected into the Torrid line, it’s sure to be a hit.
More from Yahoo Style:
Plus Size Blogger Says Wearing a Bathing Suit to the Beach Isn’t “Brave” (Duh)
Why the World Is Turning Against Victoria’s Secret
It’s Not Your Imagination: The Modeling Industry is Changing
