Bebe Rexha Refused Dresses for Her “Too Big” Size by Designers: The Problem of Rampant Size Based Discrimination Within the Fashion Industry
Bebe Rexha recently revealed through a video on her Instagram that designers refused to dress her for the 2019 Grammys, for which she snagged two nominations, one for Best New Artist and one for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Instead of being able to enjoy this momentous moment in her career, Rexha received word from various designers her team reached out to that she was “too big” for them to dress.
Rexha, who states in the video that she is a size 6/8, joins a long list of women who’ve reached monumental accomplishments in their careers only to be reduced to measurements by designers who deem them unworthy of their designs. It is common practice for designers to make custom dresses for stars attending award shows, but many women are turned away by designers on the basis of their bodies. Notably, Leslie Jones was unable to find someone to dress her for the premiere of Ghostbusters until designer Christian Siriano reached out on Twitter offering to design a dress. He responded to praise over his offer on Twitter writing: “It shouldn't be exceptional to work with brilliant people just because they're not sample size. Congrats aren't in order, a change is.” Other stars such as Melissa McCarthy, Danielle Brooks, Ashley Graham, and countless other stars share in Rexha and Jones’ plight.
Rexha continues in her video further calling out these designers who refuse to dress her. “You're saying that all the women in the world that [sic] are size eight and up are not beautiful and they cannot wear your dresses,” Rexha said. Rexha brings up the issue here that extends beyond the red carpet. Rexha has accomplished great success in her music career, but is made to feel less than because of her size. Award shows and wearing elaborate clothing is part of her career, and when designers don’t allow access to clothing for these events, they are not only making belittling insinuations, they are also affecting how a woman can take part in her career and life. This is a dilemma that countless woman face everyday when clothing stores do not cater to their body types.
This phenomenon of women being denied access to appropriate clothing based on their size speaks to a deeper and ongoing issue in the fashion industry. Rexha is a size 6/8. This is a size that falls well within straight sizes and is smaller than a majority of American women, yet somehow this size is seen as “too big” by these high end designers. This is due to the outrageous standards placed on women's bodies within the fashion industry. Designers make dresses, initially, in sample sizes which fit women who are a size 0/2, the size of the straight size models who wear them. This is obviously the low end of a much larger spectrum, so when designers only represent this small portion of women’s bodies, there is a clear problem. A size 8 would actually be deemed plus size in regards to the modeling industry. Most plus size models are actually sizes 8 to 12, none of which are actually plus size. The fashion industry’s standards are not only extremely intolerant of the vast array of bodies that exist, but are utterly out of touch with reality.
After Rexha released her video, she was flooded with support from fans and other stars alike. She also found herself receiving offers from designers, such as Christiano Siriano. Thanks to Rexha speaking out about this ludicrous treatment at the hand of designers, she will be able to work with a designer who does not hold the fashion industry’s prejudices against women’s various body types and can celebrate her accomplishments. Hopefully, Rexha sharing her story will work to bring about a change in the fashion industry so that this sort of treatment of women is no longer accepted.