bodied •
Sorry y’all, but Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie isn’t as inclusive as you think
Something BIG was missing here
by Ari Bines
When the clock struck midnight, the lingerie line we've been waiting for finally dropped: Savage X Fenty, by Rihanna.
I swiped my thumb across the size options, scrolling passed the all-too common letter combos: XS, S, M, L and XL. Then they just…stopped.
The excitement of a long-overdue "inclusive" collection of lingerie by the sexiest woman alive was instantaneously overshadowed by a wave of hurt, disappointment and sadness.
I shouldn't feel any different from the other endless times I've been left out of the fashion loop. It happens all the time. But this time is different because I thought Robyn Rihanna Fenty had my fat back.
She made inclusivity a point in the Fenty Beauty launch
When Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, and I was alive to witness so many men and women of color finally experiencing makeup in their shade for the first time — and I knew she was sending everyone a message.
Rih launched the makeup line "so that women everywhere would be included," according to a Fenty Beauty press release. "Makeup is there for you to have fun with," she said. "It should never feel like pressure. It should never feel like a uniform."
But as I click between tabs on my laptop, hoping to see letters 4X 5X 6X magically appear on the sizing chart, I had to accept the fact that I don't belong here, and I should exit out of this window now.
A 3X has been the 'socially acceptable' fat girl size forever
However, it's not just Rih who left us in the dust. It's everyone. Numerous fashion retailers like Forever 21 Plus, Charlotte Russe and Modcloth are all under the impression that they're doing us fat chicks a service by giving us clothes that stop at a 3 or 4X. But bodies go beyond that just like how foundation goes beyond "medium brown."
Just looking at the heavyset woman who sat across from me on my train ride to this morning, I thought, "Could she have worn a 3X?" Probably not.
Ashley Graham even called out Rihanna back in 2017 when she failed to incorporate thicker models on the runway in her collaboration with Puma. "I was at Fenty, and that was an amazing show. But how dope would it have been to see some curves on the runway?"
After the plus-size super model called her out, I thought Rihanna knew. In my mind, I thought the message would have been received. She would go bigger, wider and thicker with her sizing. But once again, I'm left to conform to societal beauty standards: either I whittle myself down to a sliver of myself to fit the clothes, or I sit on the sidelines while everyone else takes part in the fun.
Because our bodies and sizes fluctuate, fashion and its sizing is always going to be a guessing game. But when you're not even provided with the dice, it's evident that it's not your turn to roll. Ever.
Related stories recommended by this writer:
● Why does Instagram hate fat girls?
● Look at these outfits and then tell me what the hell an extra-large looks like
● Fuck a one-piece: Here are the best, sexiest swimsuits for plus-sized babes