The Hashtag #FatAtFashionWeek Highlights The Experiences Of Plus Size Women During NYFW

Curvy bodies are getting more representation on runways during fashion week, but that doesn't mean that the industry is doing its all to include plus size figures throughout the field. Which is why fashion blogger Kellie Brown started the #FatAtFashionWeek hashtag to spotlight and raise up plus size people who are taking part in New York Fashion Week.

Rather than waiting for streetstyle photographers and editors to highlight plus size women the same way they focus on straight size white women, bloggers are starting to take the push for inclusivity into their own hands and spotlighting themselves.

Brown is the blogger behind And I Get Dressed, and this year she had noticed how many amazing plus size fashion contributors were at New York Fashion Week and milling about in the events and tents — but were constantly ignored and unacknowledged. In order to right that wrong she started the hashtag to not only spotlight the community, but also to show other plus size folks that they are not alone.

In her first post introducing the new campaign, Brown shared a snapshot of her at day two of NYFW, posing in black trousers, sneakers, and a white frilly shirt. She just finished up a breakfast hosted by 11 Honoré, a plus-sized luxury retailer, and noticed how many amazing women there were teaming in the fashion world — and how you would never know they existed if you looked through fashion week street style shots or articles.

"I’m starting a new hashtag #fatatfashionweek. We are here, we work in this industry, we get it, we are leaders and consumers," she shared in her post. "I started day 2 at (the most yum) breakfast with @11honore So excited for the brand to delve even deeper into size inclusivity! They are hard at work so those of us who love luxury have much to look forward to."

In another post, Brown highlighted the designers who are pushing boundaries and including diverse representation in their runway shows, making her excited for the future of fashion.

"Even in an industry with often narrow views of beauty, the number of wildly fine and impeccably dressed bigger bodies I see walking around this fashion week have me excited and hopeful for the future of fashion," Brown wrote. "Loved every second of the @chromat show last night — one of the most diverse I’ve ever seen!"

Not only is the hashtag meant to highlight how curvy bodies are ignored outside of runways and ad campaigns, but Brown also wants the hashtag to be a source of inspiration for plus size women who might feel like they are alone in the struggle.

"This weekends events were so dope! The number of my fat and fly AF friends working and doing amazing things during #nyfw this season has me so full and inspired! If you’ve ever felt invisible please know that I see you," she wrote under a new post.

The hashtag so far has over 180 posts, connecting bloggers, designers, publicists, and writers together. While the fashion industry is slowly making moves toward inclusivity, sometimes it needs a push in the right direction.