CELEBRATING DIVERSITY: EAST AFRICA PLUS SIZE FASHION AFFAIR—BIG IS BEAUTIFUL
By: Prachi Khatri
Fashion has revolutionized over recent years with a notable shift towards size inclusivity and body positivity. One of the most celebrated changes is accepting our bodies the way they are and being comfortable in your skin irrespective of size. Plus-size fashion is equally celebrated as petite or small or any standard size.
For too long, fashion prioritized narrow definitions of what beauty looks like. Models with “ideal size” settings set unrealistic expectations, ignoring the individuals whose bodies fall outside these beauty standards, such as petite or larger-sized women.
The “East African Plus Size Fashion Affair” is an annual fashion event that takes place in Kisumu, Kenya. The event celebrates curvy women and promotes body positivity in East Africa. As the website quotes, the motto of the event is for every individual to be unapologetically “BIG, BOLD, AND BEAUTIFUL.”
Started by founder Winnie Wenga Walcott, the annual fashion showcase aims to boost the self-esteem of plus-size women by providing them a platform to showcase their style, celebrate their curves, and encourage self-love through runway shows and exhibitions.
Started nine years ago, the event is one of a kind in Kenya. Live every year, a dozen of amateur women walked the ramp in African prints, dancing along the catwalk on the ramp. Walcott mentioned in the media coverage, “These are the women that are afraid to come out because they are not a certain size and have low esteem. The motto of this event is to showcase these women so that every size can be celebrated with joy so that when they go home, they access these beauty notions that society gave them.”
Unlike the traditional haute couture, where models are supposed to keep a resting face with no smiling, the Walcott East African Plus Size Fashion Affair is different. Models walk through the ramp full of laughter, dancing and turning the ramp walk into a moment of celebration.
Women go through many unsaid rules that shouldn’t exist in the first place. In a recent interaction with a friend and new mama, Anna Bradshaw, told AnnKM that she wouldn’t want to wear tight clothes because she recently tuned into a plus-size girly. “I was on the dance floor at a friend’s wedding and saw people giving side eyes, judging me as I am a larger size now.”
Coming from different walks of Kenyan society, the models who joined the runway are inspired to love and accept their bodies. Walcott is the major force of the program that pushed these women to accept their curves, see them as a thing of beauty, and find perfection in the imperfect.
“Big is beautiful” is breaking fashion barriers by helping plus-size women feel represented on the world stage. Many designers and media houses are recognizing the need to address this gap and cater to diverse body types.
“It was hard for me to find my style as my size increased; not many brands make clothes for all sizes. So I really had to do my research to find clothes of my liking,” said Anna during the interview.
Even though the fashion industry has more representation than before for plus-size fashion, equal visibility and representation are still lacking. It is still hard for curvaceous women to find clothes of their liking or to have choices amongst popular brands. As a plus-size woman, I've spent many years feeling left out of the fashion conversation," says Nairobi-based influencer and model Evelyn Mumbi.
Beauty is not about looks but how we carry ourselves; it’s about the confidence, the unique sense of style, and the culture we carry within us. As popular East African fashion designer Sarah Nkiru once said, "Fashion should not be a privilege reserved for a few. Beauty is not defined by a size, and the runway belongs to everyone, no matter how big or small."