SmartGlamour's New Campaign Tackles Body Shaming

It's pretty common knowledge by now in the body positive community that "flattering" is more often than not an attempt at body shaming (and whether it's consciously or unconsciously, it still counts). SmartGlamour's #ImFlattered Campaign, launched on Jan. 11, seeks to attack not only the term flattering, but the body negative styling "advice" women and feminine people are offered so constantly.

From magazines trying to assign your body a fruit type, to your mom wanting you to cover up at night, to the constant battle over which shapes "suit" what, people are too often told that they can't pull something off. That their ass is too fat or their hair is too long to wear a certain style of clothing. Owner and designer Mallorie Dunn of SmartGlamour disagrees. The all-inclusive clothing brand — where Dunn hand makes garments in sizes XXS through 6XL and to any custom measurement — wants people to feel comfortable in what they want to wear, regardless of any ridiculously arbitrary fashion "rules."

SmartGlamour's campaign features many different kinds of women, all holding up signs quoting the so-called advice they've received in their lives regarding their clothing and bodies. Going through different ages, races, and body types, the campaign proves that regardless of how much your body may adhere to traditional beauty standards (or not), people will always feel they have the right to comment and give their opinion.

Instead of just accepting these harmful, throwaway comments in our lives, SmartGlamour thinks we should fight back.

In the blog post for #ImFlattered, Dunn noted that she "asked women of all sizes, shapes, ages, and ethnicity if there was ever a time (or times) when a stranger or loved one concluded they were the expert on their body and presentation — and decided to voice it. Tons upon tons of responses rolled in. I decided to invite some of these women to tell their stories, hand making them the exact kind of garment they were advised against wearing — not just to prove these 'experts' wrong — but to show that their bodies are up to them, and them alone." And the final results are beautiful, proving the point exactly. In Dunn's own words, "The only person that matters in the question of whether or not you’re 'flattered' — is you."

It's refreshing to see a brand so active in the body positive community, rather than just cashing in on the BoPo message for its own monetary benefit, without cause or concern for the activism behind the movement. By having these women sport the clothing others had previously told them not to wear, SmartGlamour has proven that true style is all about what you feel most confident in, rather than what other people believe would be "flattering" on you.

This foray into body positivity isn't a new trend for the brand, either. SG's #MiracleMomBods campaign last year celebrated how bodies look after pregnancy, and the moms that own them. By launching campaigns that actually help real people, as well as those who come across the brand and its messaging online, SmartGlamour is writing a new rulebook for what a feminist brand should be.

Images: Courtesy SmartGlamour