Written on the body. Reading curvy fashion

Abstract

Beauty is not a static concept. From the very beginning, the general canons establish the meaning of “beautiful”. The canon of beauty is the aesthetic ideal, external expression of the person, shaped by society and dependent on the time as well as on the historical, economic and social situation of a people, a culture and a community.

The idea of this survey is to analyze the “curvy” body in the fashion world. From body shaming to discrimination. But also “curvy” fashion is central in social imaginaries, in the work of influencers and in the great storytelling of contemporary fashion. The essay talks about the evolution of the female body, of curvy influencers in the field of fashion, from the pre-social female body to the present day. Then we talk about curvy influencers and curvy models who spread positive messages about the body through Social Networks (in particular the Instagram platform).