curvy women fight back against Lagerfeld’s fat shaming comments
Image via Wiki Commons
Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld has again caused outrage with his comments about other people’s bodies.
In his book, The World According To Karl, he states that ‘people don’t want to see curvy women on the runway.’ The fashion industry tends to dance around the words ‘fat’ and ‘curvy,’ never quite admitting to size discrimination. Except Karl Lagerfeld.
Always happy to comment on people’s bodies, the designer has received a formal complaint from a women’s association in France. The complaint accuses the designer of ‘discriminatory comments’ against full figured women. If found guilty, Lagerfeld could be fined.
The group, ‘Pretty, Curvy, Sexy and Fine With it’, believe in rights and equality for women of all sizes. Members of the group were shocked at Lagerfeld’s comments and said that the ‘celebrity insults need to stop.’
However, Lagerfeld didn’t end there. In early October he repeated his comments on French television, saying that France’s healthcare system was struggling due to ‘illnesses contracted by people who are too fat.’
In a world where women’s bodies are so easily judged, Lagerfeld’s comments are unfortunately common. In February 2012 he criticized songstress Adele, calling her ‘a little too fat.’
The designers comments have caused controversy and concern in an industry believed to be hiring underweight models, but Lagerfeld defends his work. In The World According To Karl he says that it’s ‘fat women sitting in front of televisions with their packet of crisps who say slim models are hideous.’
Betty Aubriere, the president of Pretty, Curvy, Sexy and Fine With it, is appalled at the comments made by Lagerfeld and other celebrities. She pointed out that young, curvy girls are often ridiculed by their friends, and hearing defamatory comments in the media can impact their self-esteem. Miss Aubriere is calling for a law to deal with discrimination against full figured women.
‘We’re fed up. Many young girls are insecure, and hearing such comments is terrible for them.’
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