On the plus side of fashion

Chennai: Akshaya Navaneethan grew up on the heavier side. She also believed she was destined to be a part of show business. So she forged through years of body shaming to become a food show host on a regional Tamil TV channel. But it wasn’t until she shaved her head to donate hair for cancer patients that life presented her with the opportune moment to respond to unhealthy beauty stereotypes.This came in the form of India’s Playboy Magazine photographer L Ramachandran, who shot her to fame with a new series promoting inclusivity, invigorating her enough to advocate for plus-size models in the city.
Akshaya, who has a fashion design background, now uses social media to connect with women of size with modelling dreams, and releases a video every two weeks on YouTube, training them to prepare for the industry and flaunt the best cuts and designs to add to their portfolios. She is among a growing tribe of trainers and industry experts who are prepping the plus-size model for a niche market that is developing for them, as fashion brands and designers look to democratise their image and find representation in practical, inclusive designs.
"Chennai is still conservative, but has a lot of potential to be tapped into," says Akshaya.
In the city, designer Tina Vincent is the pioneer of plus-sized fashion with her brand ‘XXL Tina Vincent’ that was launched in 2000. For close to two decades, Tina’s models have been her own clients, who she grooms to walk the ramp for her. And if there’s anything she strives to reshape, it’s their confidence, not their body. "I always say, if you have it, you flaunt it. Your plus-size is your asset," she says. "The thumb rule is to be always well-groomed and sustain the style they want to portray whenever they step out, not just on show day. I ask them to do this until it becomes a part of their personality," she says.
Around the country, diversity in fashion is becoming the rage, and both esteemed as well as newer pageants are opening their doors to full-figured models. Designer Sabyasachi marked this year’s International Women’s Day featuring dusky plus-size model Varshita Thatavarthi in a stunning magenta-red lehenga. Varshita, who admits to have been rejected for five years, because of her "fuller body and dusky skin", soon became a symbol of haute fashion diversity. "One of the fastest ways to promote yourself is through social media. It’s also a great space to build contacts," she says.
In 2016, Lakme Fashion Week joined hands with the brand ‘All’, to give India its first plus-size fashion show, followed by those like ‘Ms Plus Size India’ and global size-inclusive lingerie brand Parfait’s debut in the country with a plus-size show at India Intimate Fashion Week.
"If there’s anyone who can set the bar high for models on the plus side, it is those who have made it big. And that’s why, we invite successful plus-size celebrities to mentor our models to get comfortable in their skin, handle criticism, build on their strengths," says Ashwani Kansal, a Ms Plus Size India team member.
But the most decisive lessons taught to plus-sized models attempting to permeate an industry long dominated by stick-thin ones are centered on building originality and resilience. "It takes enormous patience and strength to cope in an industry that has been conditioned to believe that anything above size two is an aberration, when the average Indian woman is size 16," says Varshita. "People often assume that if you’re curvy, you’re unhealthy which is untrue because you can be fit while you have a fuller body," she says.
Times are changing are plus-sized models are fast getting distinguished as models, and regardless of their body size, grooming has become a priority. "Plus-size is not a blanket category, it represents a range of body types such as the ‘apple-shaped’ (a wide torso, broad shoulders, and a full bust, waist, and upper back), and ‘pear-shaped’ (curvy hips, thicker thighs), each meriting styles that befit them," says Mumbai-based Instagram model and body positivity blogger Neelakshi Singh. "It is also true that on the ramp, the human eye is drawn to the hourglass figure, and this holds true for a plus-sized model too," she says.