{"id":1437,"date":"2025-06-02T14:44:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T13:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/?p=1437"},"modified":"2025-06-03T20:21:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T19:21:54","slug":"curves-and-courage-a-journey-of-empowerment-in-singapores-plus-sized-circles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/02\/curves-and-courage-a-journey-of-empowerment-in-singapores-plus-sized-circles\/","title":{"rendered":"Curves and courage: Singapore\u2019s plus-sized circles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Diversity and inclusivity are two big and grandiose goals that every brand has, and particularly, many fashion labels have worked hard to create sizing and clothing styles that fit different plus-sized bodies across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progress has been made, and we\u2019re far from the strict body standards that plagued us decades ago. However, some pockets of the world still lag even where multicultural society thrives, especially in Singapore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was born and raised in Singapore, and being Chinese-Singaporean while also never being a \u2018skinny\u2019 person was a struggle at times when it shouldn\u2019t have been. Whereas it was a fun activity for my friends to window shop and try on cute clothing, I shied away from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because I knew that none of these places had my body type in mind when designing clothes and that I would inevitably be disappointed with what I saw in the mirror. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Especially in my youth, I experienced the cruelty that came with a judgemental culture. At 9 years old, a classmate told me that I would not be able to get a boyfriend because of my weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A survey was carried out to find out how other Singaporeans felt about this culture, and responses were received from most cultures across Singapore, including Chinese, Malay, Indian, and expat respondents. Additionally, some detailed their own experiences with fat shaming or witnessing fat shaming in their culture; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was bullied in high school, and a lot of comments were about my weight, and I come from an Asian family, so my mother was the first person to fat shame me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSocial media culture amongst Singaporeans tends to be very toxic; you often see people fat shaming or even ostracising those who are plus-sized. Outside of social media, the beauty standards in Singapore lean more towards the petite, skinny type; it’s very common for men to openly judge or express their disdain for people in the plus-sized community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy parents and friends often make side comments about plus-sized people, saying that they have to lose weight because it’s not \u2018attractive\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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87.5% said they experienced
fat shaming or had
witnessed someone being fat
shamed. The same amount
of people experienced
judgement in their culture
surrounding those in the
plus-sized community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

81.3% of respondents expressed
that they wished more mainstream
brands would carry more inclusive
styles and sizes. But at the same
time, a shocking amount of
respondents weren\u2019t aware of
plus-sized labels. A glaring 68.8%
could not name a single brand that
actively caters to plus-sized
communities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But from a business standpoint, it wouldn\u2019t make much sense. The average person in Singapore is 5\u20195 and weighs 71kg, so why would clothing brands make clothes for bigger people if the \u2018average\u2019 person is small? If the goal is to make as much profit as possible, why \u2018waste\u2019 it on the minority if a product caters to the majority? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one grows up, you assume that the prejudicial lessons taught have been thrown away in favour of a modern mindset. However, a large portion of the respondents to the survey were under 20, making it clear that younger generations and children are fully aware of this standard, too. It\u2019s concerning to think of these responses and wonder who is feeding the children of Singapore this message. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influencer Gladys Lim (@gladyslxr) is one of many figures in Singapore who aims to uplift others and change how society feels about the plus-sized community. In 2023, she expressed disappointment online after shopping for a Chinese New Year dress, criticising how big labels fail to make clothing for different body types. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt was more than just a rant; I wanted to make a statement. Local fashion brands were casually throwing out XL, XXL, XXXL labels without doing proper research,\u201d she replied when asked about the video. \u201cI had a lot of questions in mind: Have they even spoken to people in the plus-sized community? Do they know how those sizes actually fit? Is their version of a UK18 even accurate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She acknowledged that progress was being made in the fashion industry but that major labels should be stepping up to make fashion more accessible for those who don\u2019t fit the skinny standard. Small independent labels work tirelessly to do so with fewer resources and much less manpower, so realistically, big brands should be able to follow that standard, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more self image stories here. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n