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'Fat' and 'thin' friends wear same dress to prove style looks great on any size

Nisean Lorde


“What if we wear the same outfit? We can show that fat women and thin women can wear the same styles and both look great.” <em>(Photo: Instagram)</em>
“What if we wear the same outfit? We can show that fat women and thin women can wear the same styles and both look great.” (Photo: Instagram)

Lexie Manion is a proud size 24. Her best friend Colleen is a size 12. So when the two best friends were invited to the NYC premiere of the documentary “Fattitude” — a film that aims to shift the narrative surrounding people who live in “fat bodies” by examining the consequences of rampant fat-shaming — they decided to put the theory to the test.

“As soon as we knew we were both going (to the premiere), we wanted to plan what we were wearing,” wrote Manion in an Instagram post. “At one point in our conversation, I said ‘What if we wear the same outfit? So we can show that fat women and thin women can wear the same styles and both look great.’ We immediately decided it was a good idea and started searching online for the same dress!”

ALSO SEE: Why this blogger doesn’t have to wear tight clothing to prove she has body confidence

Last night, my best friend @leenahlovesherself and I (intentionally) wore the same dress to the NYC premiere of the documentary “Fattitude”. The film examines the consequences of the rampant fat-shaming and fat-hatred that have both plagued our society for decades, and it also aims to shift the narrative surrounding people who live in fat bodies. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Colleen and I were invited to the premiere as guests of @neda, and as soon as we knew we were both going, we wanted to plan what we were wearing. At one point in our conversation, I said “What if we wear the same outfit? So we can show that fat women and thin women can wear the same styles and both look great”. We immediately decided it was a good idea and started searching online for the same dress! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In general, wearing the same outfit as someone else is seen as embarrassing. No one wants to be seen in the same outfit at the same event as someone else. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Another angle on this is that often we are told that people of different body types can’t rock the same styles – that certain styles are only flattering on certain bodies. We wanted to challenge that idea. We wanted to show that while Colleen’s size 12 and my size 24 are different in number, they shouldn’t have to be different in what styles are worn! We both can (and will!) rock what we want and we won’t be ashamed or embarrassed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ < We found this dress from @asos that came in both of our sizes. > #AsSeenOnMe

A post shared by Lexie (@lexiemanion) on Nov 3, 2017 at 6:34am PDT

The two understood that two people wearing the same outfit to an even is generally seen as embarrassing — but the looked at it from another angle.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Often we are told that people of different body types can’t rock the same styles – that certain styles are only flattering on certain bodies. We wanted to challenge that idea. We wanted to show that while Colleen’s size 12 and my size 24 are different in number, they shouldn’t have to be different in what styles are worn! We both can (and will!) rock what we want and we won’t be ashamed or embarrassed.”

ALSO SEE: 7 times 79-year-old Jane Fonda rocked a look that was ‘too young’ for her

“While Colleen’s size 12 and my size 24 are different in number, they shouldn’t have to be different in what styles are worn!” <em>(Photo: Instagram)</em>
“While Colleen’s size 12 and my size 24 are different in number, they shouldn’t have to be different in what styles are worn!” (Photo: Instagram)

No word as to how Friday’s premiere went, but the post received more than 5,000 likes and dozens of supportive comments.

“I love these pics, you’re both stunning!” wrote one admirer, while another gushed: “A photo that displays not just an adorable friendship, but also a photo that conveys a positive meaning in it.”

“Me and my sis always buy the same styles,” another fan wrote, hinting how it doesn’t deter the two from shopping for particular clothing. “She’s slimmer than me, and we both rock our outfits.”

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