Fashion style website Refinery 29 has partnered with brands Lane Bryant and Aerie to create The 67% Project, which calls for more inclusivity of plus-size women in product advertisement. According to the project’s website, 67 percent of American women wear a size 14 or higher. These women are referred to as the “invisible majority,” as they are not typically represented in popular media outlets. The 67% Project aims to give plus-size women the very platform that they have been denied for so long.
Beauty should not rely on a person’s facial and body structure. True beauty comes from within, and involves being bold when others try to silence you, being strong in the face of adversity, being kind to the core, and remaining confident regardless of others’ attempts to make you feel inferior. True beauty has nothing to do with the symmetry of a person’s face, and it has everything to do with the symmetry of the soul. The best women in the world are not always the “sexiest woman alive.” The most beautiful women in the world are constantly fighting to create a better world and to help the communities around them.
The 67% Project is bringing the “invisible majority” out of the shadows and into the world of beauty and fashion. No woman should be denied love or respect because of the size of her hips. Rather all women, regardless of body shapes and sizes should be represented throughout all media outlets. The project’s website introduces the term “unconscious bias” which is “not the overt prejudice you see in the headlines, but the language in between the lines.” Hiding the 67 percent of plus-size women in America has become the norm. Society has become familiar with seeing smaller females in ads and magazines, or on billboards and the runway. The website features a quote from actress Melissa McCarthy explaining her stance on the underrepresentation of plus-size women, “[About the world “plus size], you’re taking your biggest category of people and telling them, ‘You’re not really worthy,’ I find that very strange.”
The webpage concludes with a statement from Refinery 29, which states, “R29 and Getty Images are offering everyone — from major magazines to independent bloggers — access to license our collection of images featuring women of the 67%.” The project encourages supporters to use #Seethe67 and show how they want to see media outlets embrace all women.