\n \n Now that the Fall-Winter 2023 catwalks have been disassembled, it\u2019s clear one trend was more pervasive than any collective penchant for ruffles, pleated skirts or tailored coats.\n <\/p>\n \n Across runways in New York, London, Milan and Paris, there was a notable scarcity of plus-size models. This comes at a time when there are five injectable medications which can be used as appetite suppressants currently available by prescription in the US, stirring much conversation; a sixth medication, Rybelsus, is taken as an oral pill. Two are officially approved in the UK \u2014 the largest influx of weight loss medication seen in the country in almost a decade.\n <\/p>\n \n In recent months, injectables such as Wegovy and Ozempic \u2014 which share the same active ingredient, semaglutide \u2014 have been widely reported as Hollywood\u2019s worst-kept weight loss secret. (Ozempic is intended for use primarily to treat Type 2 diabetes.) Comedian Chelsea Handler claimed her \u201canti-aging doctor just hands (Ozempic) out to anybody\u201d while appearing on a podcast<\/a> in January. Even Elon Musk tweeted<\/a> last year about being on Wegovy.\n <\/p>\n \n For many fashion commentators and diversity advocates, the Fall-Winter 2023 runways were in sharp contrast to the (albeit limited) progress and heady promise of recent seasons. This rollback has been widely criticized in the style media as such. And its potential impact is being assessed more broadly: With the rise of these weight loss panaceas, the pursuit of size zero is now just a prescription away.\n <\/p>\n \n In 2020, Jill Kortleve and Paloma Elsesser became the first models outside of a sample size<\/a> to walk for the Italian fashion house Fendi. (Traditionally, a sample size falls between a US 0-4.) British label Erdem entered the plus-size market <\/a>in 2021, extending its offering to a UK size 22 (or US size 18). And in January 2022, Valentino made headlines<\/a> after its haute couture show featured a broad spectrum of body types. But this season, there was a visible lack of curve bodies on their runways \u2014 or many others.\n <\/p>\n \n Fendi and Valentino did not respond when contacted by CNN, while Erdem declined to comment.\n <\/p>\n \n According to fashion search engine Tagwalk, the number of mid and plus-size models dropped by 24% in comparison to Spring-Summer 2023. Similarly, a size inclusivity report conducted by Vogue Business<\/a> found that 95.6% of all looks presented for Fall-Winter 2023 were in a size US 0-4. For context, industry market firm Plunkett Research estimated in 2015 that 68% of American women wear a size US 14 or above<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt was a definitive backslide,\u201d said IMG model agent Mina White, who represents plus-size and curve supermodels including Elsesser and Ashley Graham. \u201cIt was frustrating to see some of these designers not using curved bodies where they had in the past.\u201d Fendi and Valentino did not respond when contacted by CNN, while Erdem declined to comment.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWatching somebody like Ashley Graham attend the front row for so many of these major houses in full looks (provided by the designer), it was frustrating,\u201d White continued. \u201cThey wanted to utilize her image and her social following to command a certain space in the market, but they didn\u2019t want to be reflective on their runways.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n For others, even the term \u201cbackslide\u201d was too generous. \u201cSlipping back from\u2026 what? A glorious time when the average American woman (size 16) was as present on the runways as she is in everyday life? A time when fashion ads cast as many \u2018plus-size\u2019 and \u2018mid-size\u2019 women as \u2018straight-size\u2019 women?\u201d fashion journalist Amy Odell wrote in her Substack newsletter<\/a> of this past season\u2019s runways. \u201cNo one needed any data to understand that representing a wide array of body shapes and sizes in runway shows or in fashion imagery is not a priority for the industry.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n That said, a handful of \u2014 mostly smaller \u2014 brands pushed ahead this season. In London, emerging labels Di Petsa, Karoline Vitto and Sinead O\u2019Dwyer showcased lineups of size-diverse models. Inclusivity at Christian Siriano, Coach, Kim Shui, Collina Strada and Bach Mai stood out in New York; while in Paris, Belgian brand Esther Manas \u2014 a consistent flag-bearer for size diversity \u2014 staged one of the city\u2019s most refreshing runways with an assortment of fun, sensual, feminine looks that complimented a range of bodies.\n <\/p>\n \n There was also a smattering of mid- and plus-size castings to be seen elsewhere: Off-White and Michael Kors, for example, featured a few such models. At Harris Reed\u2019s debut for Nina Ricci, Precious Lee opened the show \u2014 which also featured three more plus- and mid-size models.\n <\/p>\n \n Fashion samples and sample size pieces are one-off garments made before an item is mass-produced, typically to be worn during runway shows. Prioritizing the same body type in sample sizes means runway models are more easily interchangeable, saving fashion houses time and money if someone were to drop out or get sick during or after the casting process for a show.\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019s also partly why, according to White, casting curve models is still an uphill battle. She says she introduces brands to new faces months in advance of runway season, with their specific measurements up-top and easy to read in all correspondence. \u201cI want to be ahead of that,\u201d White said. \u201cSo I\u2019m never told \u2018Oh, we wanted to make it work, but we didn\u2019t have her size\u2019 or whatever that conversation might look like.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n But despite her efforts, she says she\u2019s frequently told it\u2019s too much of a \u201cfinancial lift\u201d to make larger samples \u2014 even by legacy brands. \u201cI get very upset when brands say that,\u201d White said. \u201cI don\u2019t believe that it is, I believe that it\u2019s people not being properly educated on how to do this right.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Beyond the lack of representation, White notes it\u2019s painful for plus-size consumers to watch brands leverage resources to create custom, made-to-fit pieces for celebrities \u2014 all the while claiming the pot is empty for more inclusive runway samples.\n <\/p>\n \n London-based stylist and editor Francesca Burns agrees sample sizes are part of the problem. In 2020, Burns went viral after she posted on Instagram about a fashion job gone wrong. She says she was sent five looks to style from Celine, none of which fit the size UK 8 (US 4) model booked for the shoot\u2014 an 18-year-old on her first job in the business. The experience left her \u201chorrified,\u201d Burns told CNN, recalling what she saw as the model\u2019s shame and embarrassment. \u201cLooking into this girl\u2019s eyes,\u201d Burns said, \u201cshe shouldn\u2019t have felt like that.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Burns\u2019 post, which called the current system \u201cunacceptable,\u201d was picked up widely in the fashion media. (When reached by CNN, Celine declined to comment on the incident.) \u201cUltimately, the desire to see change has to be there,\u201d Burns said. \u201cAnd I wonder whether luxury has that desire?\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Progress has been slow, but not entirely inexistent. Across fashion campaigns, magazine covers and editorial shoots, there is a growing enthusiasm for inclusivity. \u201cI see the options rolling in for the plus-sized talent, and they\u2019re great offerings,\u201d said White. \u201cGreat, strong editorials and covers and campaigns. But I do feel like without the clothes, we are going to go back to see more naked curve stories, or lingerie curve stories or a curve girl in a trench coat. That\u2019s what I don\u2019t want.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n For British Vogue\u2019s April issue<\/a>, unveiled March 16, Elsesser, Lee and Jill Kortleve were dubbed \u201cThe New Supers.\u201d Preceding the cover story is a letter written by editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful commending the models for \u201cleading the way\u201d and holding \u201cpowerful space\u201d in the industry.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cCatwalks are once again under scrutiny for a stark lack of body diversity,\u201d read the magazine\u2019s Instagram caption<\/a>, unveiling the cover. \u201cBut this cover was not conceived as a statement. It is a crowning of an all-powerful trio, the supermodels for a new generation.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n But many online were quick to point out the disconnect: Two of the Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2023 dresses were modeled by plus-size women, though they are not available to buy in most plus sizes.\n <\/p>\n \n In his own social media post<\/a>, Enninful wrote about his disappointment at the Fall-Winter 2023 runways. \u201cI thought I had gotten into a time machine. Show after show dominated by one body type, so many limited visions of womanhood\u2026 one prescribed notion of beauty prevailed again, and it felt like the reality of so many women around the world were being ignored.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n But for White, the power rests within the entire industry \u2014 not just at the feet of brands. \u201cI really do believe there should be an industry standard between the (Council of Fashion Designers of America), the British Fashion Council and key editors at some of these major mass market magazines,\u201d she continued. \u201cIf there was a call-to-action from these figureheads saying, moving forward samples need to be readily available for a few different body types, we would see significant and impactful change.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Burns agrees there must be a trickle-down effect. \u201cI think a lot of responsibility is put on young designers to solve all these issues around sustainability or issues around body inclusivity,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s important that the big powerhouses, which have the capacity to action change, really take some responsibility.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n On March 8, Wegovy \u2014 developed primarily as a treatment for those living with obesity and weight-related conditions \u2014 was approved in the UK. It\u2019s the second injectable weight management medication to be made available with a prescription via the country\u2019s National Health Service (NHS) in about 3 years, after almost a decade of quiet. Before 2020, the last weight loss medication was approved in the UK was in 2010.\n <\/p>\n \n Similarly, the US has now approved three weight management injections: Wegovy, Saxenda and IMCIVREE. Medications for type-2 diabetes like Mounjaro and Ozempic are not FDA-approved for weight loss, though some doctors are issuing them at their own discretion.\n <\/p>\n \n While these medicines are a revolutionary tool for those who struggle to lose weight for genetic or medical reasons, they are at risk of being abused.\n <\/p>\n \n Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, was originally developed for treating type-2 diabetes. It quells hunger signals to the brain by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). \u201cIt can slow how quickly your stomach empties out and may give you a little more feeling of feeling full,\u201d said Dr. Robert Lash, an endocrinologist and Chief Medical Officer of the Endocrine Society in Washington, D.C. In clinical trials, over a period of 68 weeks, participants who used the medication in conjunction with eating fewer calories and increasing their physical activity on average lost around 15% of their body weight<\/a> compared to 2.4% of those using a placebo, according to the manufacturer Novo Nordisk.\n <\/p>\n \n On March 13, the European Medicines Agency issued a statement<\/a> warning of an Ozempic shortage that could continue through the year, urging doctors to prioritize prescriptions to diabetics. \u201cAny other use, including for weight management, represents off-label use and currently places the availability of Ozempic for the indicated population at risk,\u201d read the release.\n <\/p>\n \n Patients typically need a BMI of 27 or higher (along with another weight-related condition like high blood pressure or diabetes) or have a genetic predisposition towards obesity to be prescribed such appetite suppressant medication by their doctor. But talk of these injectables has been sweeping the West. In January, the New York Times reported on the term \u201cOzempic Face,\u201d<\/a> coined by a New York-based dermatologist who reported treating several patients with a hollowed-out appearance that can come with rapid weight loss. By the end of February, the medication had made it to the cover of New York Magazine in a feature titled \u201cLife After Food?\u201d<\/a> Adverts for GLP-1 injections are even blanketing New York City subway stations<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n And across social media, online forums and private group chats, some people looking to lose weight for primarily aesthetic purposes are searching for a way to skirt the requirements.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI was just looking for a way to lose a few pounds, like 10 to 15 at most,\u201d said one 30-year-old American woman, who wished to remain anonymous, in a phone interview. She scoured social media and forums for guidance on securing a weight loss drug. \u201cI\u2019m certainly a normal BMI, I just have a trip to Mexico coming up and I want to look really good,\u201d she said.\n <\/p>\n \n Although she says she found a way to access Wegovy, she decided against the medication after considering the cost (which can reach more than $1,000 a month without insurance). \u201cI\u2019ve always very much fit the societal standard but lately I was just like f*ck it, I want to be skinny,\u201d she told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n Dr. Lash emphasized the importance of taking weight loss drugs only with medical supervision and a valid prescription. \u201cIf somebody was a normal weight and they took this drug because they thought they could be even thinner than they are now, that could lead to complications,\u201d he told CNN, warning of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even gallbladder problems. \u201cThese drugs are not benign, they do have side effects involving the GI tract. There\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Fashion has long promoted size 0 as the ultimate virtue \u2014 regardless of its viability for many people, or any health risks. And now with the accessibility of accelerated weight loss medication, the stakes are even higher. For Burns and White, the industry is responsible for amplifying a new, more inclusive vision of beauty.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThere\u2019s a very archaic way of looking at women over a size 16 and just assuming that they\u2019re unhealthy or uneducated or unstylish. Or don\u2019t have the resources to buy into luxury,\u201d said White. \u201cThe reality is the same women these brands are alienating in their fashion space are the same women running out to buy their handbags, shoes, perfumes, cosmetics and skincare.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Not only do designers need to create clothes with this consumer in mind, according to White, but they need to be seen on the runway, too.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be a conversation. It should just be normalized that we\u2019re not just looking at a single view of beauty,\u201d echoed Burns.\n <\/p>\n \n Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, whose bridal-inspired Fall-Winter 2023 collection was one of this season\u2019s most size-diverse runways, summarized it best in their accompanying show notes: \u201cThe body is not the subject. Because, obviously, at a wedding, everybody is invited. And all to the party. That is where the designer duo Ester and Balthazar take their stand.\u201d\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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