The clothing chain Monki has previously profiled itself as an inclusive clothing brand, but has now found itself in a storm and received criticism on social media after they changed their profile. Among other things, they have stopped selling clothes larger than XL. For body activist Ellinor Elofsson, it was an expected announcement.
– Unfortunately, I wasn’t surprised. It is something we have also seen with other clothing chains, meaning that it has slowly crept in this direction. So when they came out with this, I wasn’t the least bit surprised, she says.
Bodies follow trends
Many connect Monki’s decision with a trend where the models on the catwalk have become thinner and where previously curvy influencers, such as Kim Kardashian, have lost weight. Something Ellinor agrees with.
– Unfortunately, bodies are a fashion, so there will be trends in bodies as well, and this is also reflected in clothes. After a while they need to renew themselves and unfortunately they need to do it by going backwards, she says.
The fashion world sees its chance
Emily Dahl, fashion scientist, believes that Monki’s rebranding points to a trend where we can see that it is no longer as important to highlight larger bodies, and not to retouch images of models. Above all, she connects the trend to everything that is happening in the world and that people can no longer take this fight.
– There is economic uncertainty, war and so on. Things that cause people to shift focus even in their own lives. And when other people don’t have the courage to question things and stand on the barricades in the way that they were able to do before the pandemic, and everything that has happened recently, the fashion world also sees its chance to, as it were, easily focus on something else.
If no one can fight for greater representation, there is no reason for the clothing chains to meet that need, explains Emily further.
“We must not give up”
According to Ellinor, people need to stand up and not be silent.
– If we keep quiet, then they think it’s peaceful, so we really mustn’t give up, says Ellinor.
Emily, however, has a different perspective. According to her, it is important to remember that revolutions come in waves and to focus on positive changes.
– Although this is a step back for many, a lot has happened since only ten years. You must not lose faith in your impact, but let time pass and constantly struggle, instead of chasing breakthroughs all the time, she says and continues:
Sooner or later they will come, as long as you don’t give up. For example, if you look at online stores today, it has gone from being super-retouched to the models being largely not retouched at all. And that is a positive effect in itself