Ever since the launch of Savage X Fenty lingerie line in 2018, the company has tried to normalize every size, race, or gender by including different types of models and actors to model the lingerie. In the 2020 collection, the plus-size male was in focus, and the models did not appear under a different ‘plus-size’ tap on the website.
Steven Green, Photo: Savage X Fenty
In more recent years the fashion industry has been more open to diverse female body positivity by using plus-size models, like Ashley Graham, on the cover of British Vogue. However, the plus-size male community has not been represented in the fashion world as much as their female counterpart. The launch of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty 2020 lingerie collection was a step in the right direction of normalizing plus-size male models. Steven Green uses a size US 2XL, and he was one of the models used on the Savage X Fenty website.
Screenshots of Steven Green has been widely spread on Twitter, as fans primarily have had positive reactions to the new campaign. One Twitter-user wrote “I just realized i have never seen a male model with a body type close to mine that wasn't there as a joke. Seeing this made me really happy. They even kept the stretch marks.”
Twitter-user, Walter Snuggels. Photo: Twitter
It is widely known that most fashion brands retouch the photos before they go online or before they are featured in fashion magazines, and by not doing so Savage X Fenty is diversifying themselves from every other fashion brand. The positive feedback from this campaign is also a wake-up call to everyone in the fashion industry, that the need for more inclusivity and diversity is welcomed. As mentioned above, we often talk about body positivity in plus-size women, but as a society, we sometimes forget that men also are held to unrealistic body standards. A great example of this is Zac Efron. In his documentary series on Netflix Down to Earth, a topless Efron was deemed by Twitter users as having a ‘dad bod’ on the count that he was a bit hairier and “only” had a four-pack instead of a six. If Zac Efron, who is seemingly in amazing shape, is graded to having a ‘dad bod’ it sets an unrealistic standard to other men who may not be in as great a shape.
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