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Growing up in the 80’s, I felt like I was taught to hate myself and be ashamed of my body, thanks to TV shows and women’s fashion magazines with a very specific (read thin) body type. And then, around 2013, I discovered the “body positivity” movement in online places like LiveJournal, Tumblr, and Twitter. That discovery was pivotal for me – not only in what I learned, but also in who I met. I found a community that I have remained a member of ever since. Almost 10 years later, it’s in these places that I’ve met a journalist, community builder, and budding author. Plus power, Gianluca Russo. In the depths of the internet, as plus-size community members and writers, we’ve found each other and connected through social media’s evolutionary element of acceptance and fat movement.
At the time, brands like Dove and Aerie were making the decision to use models of all sizes and abilities in their advertising campaigns, more and more television shows were featuring plus-size leaders, and models like Tess Holliday and Ashley Graham were gracing the covers. Major fashion magazines. Fresh out of college, Russo was relatively new to the media and fashion industries, but was constantly pushing the boundaries for something more. In a short time, Rousseau established himself as a voice to be heard Project runway, fronting New York Fashion Week, a column in NYLON about fat bias, and pushing the fashion industry to have difficult conversations when it comes to plus-size bodies. While reporting on workplace topics like fatphobia and the lack of men’s clothing, Russo has also built his own virtual community (founded by fellow journalist Shamara Lawrence), called The Power of Plus, which has reached over 15,000 people so far.
But he wanted to go further. After a few years of writing all these magazine articles, I wanted to do something big, he told me on Zoom. “[Something] It felt like an even bigger celebration for all these women and men and people who have been able to create such a profound movement over the years. Rousseau expressed his goal in his first book, Plus powerIt arrived on the shelves today. Plus power Russo expands on his previous conversations, the inception of the plus-size market, and issues of anti-blackness and diversity that are still prevalent in society and the fashion industry, giving an inside look at the much-overlooked men’s plus-size category. , and much more. The book reads like a collection of stories by some of the most prominent changemakers and prominent voices in the community, including creative consultant and writer Nicolette Mason, Curvy Fashionista creator Marie Denny, writer and model Kendra Austin, and designer Christian Siriano. .
Rousseau told me. Plus power It was a way for him to celebrate the body positivity community he’s deeply rooted in, but he truly believes it can change the fashion industry for the better. Ahead, Russo talks about this book from a place of extreme candor, his true feelings about the word “fat,” and his hopes for the future of plus-size fashion.
This interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.
In the introduction to your book, you say, “I know change is real. But change is still new. And the only way to push forward is to provide unfiltered transparency. Why do you think it is important to provide such radical transparency?
I’ve seen in our digital age that a lot of times, we’re putting out a highlight reel of what we’ve been able to achieve, and it’s a real disservice to the movement as a whole. I think we’re at a point where things are frozen for a while and we can’t move forward until we give clarity and diversity to these discussions because people simply don’t understand what’s going on behind the scenes. If we are celebrating small victories here and there, what are we doing to push on? [against] The lack of change? This industry is still incredibly far from where it is and if we don’t talk about that and analyze that, how can we move forward from there and what are we doing to the next generation? What are we doing for the future of fashion? We don’t really help; We’re just putting a BandAid on the problem.
“Most of the time, we only present what we’ve been able to achieve, and that’s a real disservice to the movement.”
Something you did in your book that I personally have never seen done before was include roundtables with other people in the industry. Why did you do this, and how did you decide to include the subjects and personalities?
What I wanted to do was to frame the larger parts of the book with these generalizations. To me, each chapter is discussing a different point of view, a different subject. These individuals are there to discuss these topics with me. When I look at the book, I see it as three parts: the past, the present, and the future of plus-size fashion. For me, these roundtable discussions helped readers understand where the industry is at. I didn’t want to write a history book and I didn’t want to write something that was just social commentary. I wanted to write a non-fiction narrative that traveled through time, brought us through our own perspectives. I think that helped set us apart and show people, we’ve come a long way, and this is where we are now, and this is where we still have to go.
I think that is very important. In the chapter “The Body Boom,” you wrote about Old Navy’s decision to expand in size. Only to attract plus sizes later from some stores. So to your point, there’s still a lot of work to be done, and this push and pull on expanded sizes and continued frustration with pulling these sizes shows that we’re not doing enough.
right? I mean that’s the problem! There are so many different layers, and there is no one person or issue here. The discussion is very complicated. Old Navy is a really great example because they are a brand that made a big splash and a lot of people know and love them. Still, there were no moving products. why was it But you know they are dragging [expanded sizes out of stores] It does not paint like that. It looks like they’re leaving the plus-size community, but I don’t see it that way. I see it as a readjustment. At the end of the day, any business needs to make adjustments to their business to meet and match the needs, so that’s what they’re doing. I think that’s something that opened it up for me as well—looking at these brands that I wouldn’t have come across before, and realizing that they’re all struggling, even the brands that are proving themselves to be successful. I think that’s why transparency is important, because all these brands are putting a facade. They are. [pointing to] Numbers [like] “68% of American women [wear over a size 14]” or “[the plus-size clothing market is worth] $24 billion” — but the reality is they are saying you can do it and they are fighting behind the scenes. They’re all struggling. “Discussions about racial diversity are fundamental to discussions around body diversity.
You also make a point to discuss issues of race and diversity in the plus size fashion industry. Why do you think the fashion industry – and in particular, the plus size industry – is still struggling with this?
I think the discussion of racial differences is fundamental to the discussion around physical differences. I’ve made sure to include it in each chapter, and I want to make sure it’s clear that I’ve included all of these different lenses on diversity in each chapter. [But] I knew I needed to dedicate an entire chapter specifically to the anti-blackness and colorism in the industry, about how much back to the origins of plus-size fashion and body positivity that began with the fat activist movement of the 1960s. Body positivity has been a problem since conception. The biggest problem we’re seeing in the industry right now is tokenization, anti-blackness, and the lack of a diversity spectrum. There is much in the discussion that I don’t want to put my own personal lens or perspective on, so the chapter in the book [titled “The Racial Divide”] It is very guided by the sounds inside. I didn’t want to present my social commentary from my own personal point of view – especially the chapter on symbolism. That chapter and discussion of race, size, and gender and how they all interact is critical to every aspect of this movement. Diversity is at the heart of this conversation and movement.
I like the way you talked about the word “fat” and the use of that word. Talk to me about writing that chapter and your relationship with that word.
Yes, I think in recent years we have seen the value of identity and how we define ourselves. I think this is especially true in the body diversity space. I have seen people have very different views on the word. “Fat” And the different ways you want to name or name it. A lot of anger has been attached to it, and for years there has been only ridicule and horrible feelings around these words. But people should be given room to choose, in my opinion [the label] They choose, whether that’s “plus-size,” “curvy,” or unlabeled—what most people gravitate toward. We don’t have to [people] Because they don’t want to use the word “fat,” they feel like they can’t be a part of society. [That said], while writing the chapter, I wanted to include my own personal experience, which of course is a bit interwoven in the book. I wanted to show readers how my perspective is shaped and changed by the people I meet and engage with. Well, a lot of people who read the book haven’t read my work before, so by writing this book, I wanted to show them that my view of certain words and certain topics is changing and shaping and still exists.
“I know what is at stake and what needs to be done. But armed with that knowledge, I feel prepared for the future.”
In your chapter “The Curse of the Token Curve Girl” you give readers a look at how toxic the fashion industry is. For people who take this book, what do you hope to take away, and for those in the fashion industry, what do you hope to change?
First? I hope you like that chapter, because that’s my favorite chapter. I hope that people who read this book will understand that we have come a long way. This cannot be denied. I hope they feel that we have accomplished a lot together, but I hope they see that there is still unlimited work, which is scary at first. I want people to feel inspired. I want them to be proud of how far we’ve come, but I also want them to feel hopeful for the future. I know what is at stake and what needs to be done. But armed with that knowledge, I feel prepared for the future.
I wanted to arm these readers with a sense of where this industry is and how we can move forward using examples from the past. Looking at people [legendary plus-size model] Ame and The way she was able to burn in the 1990s, let’s not just forget about her career. We respect her work, and we can use her way of attacking the industry as a new point of action in the future. This was the most interesting part for me. [writing the book] – Being able to put the pieces together, to look at 1990 to 2020 and say, “This is how it all fits together.” Thus it is one story, not a collection of different stories. This is how we are all contributing to the same narrative in our own way. My ultimate hope is that people will all see the unique and unique ways they can make a difference that contribute to our goal of gender equality in our society.
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