Body shaming or practicality?

Post the pandemic era, fashion has become more and more inclusive. From fashion weeks supporting gender neutral clothing to plus size models walking the runway, all stereotypes have been shattered. However, recently, a bride, Dr Tanaya, took to social media to express the body shaming incident she faced while shopping for her bridal outfit. She wrote, “There is SO much pressure on people to lose weight before their wedding – I had that too. Family friends would ask why I wasn’t “dieting” before my wedding (in a span of one month lmao). Some even went out of their way to send me “slimming teas”. Bridal stores would body shame (looking at you, Ambawatta @taruntahiliani {yeah, that was a massive shame, because I’d wanted to wear a Tarun T to my wedding since I was 12. Never going there again. [also what’s with these big designers being afraid of big boobs? I cannot sing enough praises for the guys at @anitadongre, who managed to make a beautifully fitting, and genuinely lovely lehenga, all in a span of three weeks!]}) and all kinds of weird comments were thrown at me about my “double chin” and “belly showing in the lehenga haww.” But you know what? Fuck that. Fuck all that. Look at me, how happy I am. Double chin and all. Just look at me. And that’s all that matters – my closest friends, my lovely family, and my boy love me for who I am. And most importantly, I love me for who I am. And that’s the biggest learning I can share from my wedding. Enjoy it, because happy brides are the best brides.” Another bride took to social media and said, “The salesman told me that would have to pay more than the price tag because the lehenga would need more kalis. Over the years, I’ve made peace with the fact that am not regular-sized, but this really stung because it happened in front of my future in-laws who also had to bear that additional cost. It was humiliating even though the one doing the humiliation did not even realise it,” says Shaili Bhat, a lawyer from Mumbai.

The designer, Tarun Tahiliani, who Tananya was referring to, says, “We have always supported body positivity. Our campaigns and even brides are of all shapes and sizes which we respect. The customer came into our store, was there for 10 minutes but didn’t try any garment. She walked out later,” The designer further adds that his entire staff is sensitive and never pushes a bride to purchase anything. “If we add an extra kali, yes we do ask for extra money,” shares Tahiliani. Adding on, designer Anju Modi agrees as says, “I can’t understand why this issue has been raised, as designers we put in our heart and soul and these are tough times, we do have overheads ourselves, we have to nurture the karigars. If we add an extra kali – which usually costs from 25k to 50k- we ask for extra costs, where will the designer bring that extra cost from? It is not about one’s weight, we respect that and even on runways today, we have all kinds of models showcasing garments.” Designer Rahul Mishra says that couture unlike ready to wear is exclusive and the worksmenship that goes in is one-of-a-kind. “It’s never about the size, If anyone reduces the kali we reduce the price but if anyone increases them we don’t have a choice but to increase – this is irrespective of ones size. We have sample clothes in medium and large however, we don’t increase the cost of sample pieces and then loathe them on the customers as it’s overhead charges increase. This is also damaging for the environment and considering the times we live in, it’s better to be sustainable. Brands have sample sizes in small and are customised as per the customer,” says Mishra.

While the designer and the customer are at loggerheads, followers on social media are expressing various concerns over size inclusivity by sharing personal anecdotes expressing their grievances. Many have shared similar comments on popular accounts like DietSabya where conversations between past and prospective customers remain the same whether the industry truly be size inclusive. While some believe it is, “As a plus-size bride myself, I can relate. But I don’t agree that larger lehengas costing more is body-shaming. Lehengas aren’t fast fashion- the materials are premium and largely handmade/embroidered. Artisans deserve to be fairly compensated for their extra time and labor,” wrote Sharanya Haridas in one of the post comment sections. Bride Aakansha Wadhwa says she was extra too but understands why a designer has to do so. “I also paid extra but I won’t call it body shaming.It is for extra work, we have to stop being so sensitive.“ Some say, it is not, “Such a SHAME!! I used to experience this at shoots all the time – and at that time I was a size 12. The stylist was able to source beautiful outfits + variety for the size 4-6 bloggers but for me, they’d only have 1-2 options and had the audacity to say “it’s because of your size, they don’t make this size”. I’ve turned down a lot of work after these experiences,” wrote bloggers Ankita Chaturvedi in the comments section.