The internet is flooded with fashion advice for curvy and plus-size women. One google search, and you’ll be greeted with “Don’t wear light colours. Absolutely avoid white at all costs. Bodycon dresses aren’t your best friend.” All of this is dished out by influencers, guides, publications and more, hinting at hiding “flaws” of these women. Striking down one fashion myth at a time, and flaunting bodycons, crop tops, mini skirts and more, plus-size influencer Sayanti Mahapatra is a breath of fresh air.
The 25-year-old fashion and lifestyle vlogger is most well-known for her affordable plus size styling recommendations. As a fashion and communications student, she started her page in her second year of college, in an attempt to get jobs and make connections. “It started that way because it was cool. But now, it’s a lot more than a page, it's my life, job and everything else,” said Sayanti.
In spite of a long, hard journey to accepting herself as she was, she now has a strong voice and community of her own.
Her “besties”
She has almost 200k followers on Instagram and calls them her “besties.” She added, “I share my life with them and relate to them. It’s a community of people who I love and who love me.”
She chose this niche because when someone messaged her saying “plus-size fashion is too expensive.” Which it was, due to the scarcity of brands and clothing that catered to plus-size bodies. Having shopped from Sarojini Nagar market all her life, the Noida-based blogger started off with affordable clothing hauls from Sarojini.
View this post on Instagram
“Insta was about glamour, vacations, well-choreographed photoshoots, but at that time, people were not doing relatable and affordable content. My sarojini videos immediately went viral, and soon everyone started doing those,” she said. That made her pivot to mini-reviews of clothing from Amazon, Meesho and Flipkart, which now fetch her lakhs of views.
Brand deals were mostly gimmicks
In spite of the virality, brand deals and collaborations were still scarce. Mahapatra elaborated, “There are very few brands, and thus, less paid opportunities. Some brands want to collaborate, and do inclusive campaigns, but they don’t even have plus size clothing! Their efforts to be inclusive end with campaigns.”
She even goes on to describe how she has even faced situations where brands tried to fit her into their regular size clothing, even after her mentioning a very different size for herself.
View this post on Instagram
The bigger hurdle often, is how when you’re a plus-size content creator, your personality is defined by your size. That’s all people look or care about. “Skincare and beauty brands don’t approach you because you don’t fit into their mould of what looks pretty. Even though their products have nothing to do with size,” said Mahapatra.
She has noticed a shift since “diversity” and “inclusivity” became buzzwords in the industry, and she’s begun receiving better deals. Overall, however, she remains wary of these being mere tokenism and not materialising into concrete change.
Don't Miss: Hena Mehta Founded Fin-tech Startup Basis To Financially Empower Women
“Starved myself” but that didn’t solve problems
The journey to being this confident version of herself was riddled with the usual comments, jibes and remarks every plus-size woman grows up around. Relatives said ‘how will you ever get married?’ and opportunities often went to “better” looking people.
“If you don’t become thin, how will you manage in this industry?” was a constant reminder people threw at her, knowing her interest and passion for style and fashion.
”I accepted that as the truth of life. I thought to have a job, a partner or friends, I’d have to be a certain size. I used to starve myself and workout two hours a day just to lose weight,” said said.
She lost weight, but none of her problems really ended there. “So I realised it's a hoax.” she added.
Don't Miss: Model Mukta Singh: Slaying With Grey Hair At 58
Now, she strongly urges women to own their bodies and wear every piece of clothing they set their eyes on without waiting for a ‘better’ time. If at all a better time comes, the style might go out of fashion or she might not even want to wear that piece of clothing. “Stop holding yourself back,” is her mantra now.
When plus-size women see her wearing bodycon dresses, white tops and mini-skirts, they see how they too, can pull it off without a second thought. “It’s like a breath of fresh air for them, after years of being told to wear oversized tees to hide their ‘flaws’.”
Take charge of your wellness journey—download the HerZindagi app for daily updates on fitness, beauty, and a healthy lifestyle!
Comments
All Comments (0)
Join the conversation