Taking up my space on Milan Fashion Week

Jul 23

Women have been told to keep themselves smaller for ages—not only physically, but most mportantly, as individuals. Do not dream bigger than your husband, do not be loud, dress modestly, less this and less that.

I am a woman of a larger size. I naturally take up more space, and you can imagine how many times I was shamed for this. The side-eyes when I asked for a seatbelt extender on a flight to Mykonos, or when I couldn't find a nice prom dress, or when I wore adult baggy clothes because trendy tank tops didn't fit me in school.

I desperately wanted to be smaller and did many things to achieve it—I failed.
It was a long battle with my body and my individuality until I realized, in therapy, that my personality requires more space. To be open about my big ambitions, to share my truth and experiences, to be loud about my ideas.

I work as an influencer and a designer, and my mission is to show as many women as I can that they can be happy and feel beautiful at any size and point in their life. Through compassion, my own journey, and the art of fashion.

The project Taking Up My Space was inspired by art from times when the world loved larger women: the European Renaissance and the works of Russian artist Boris Kustodiev.

I designed four sweatshirts in different colors with catchy slogans and added a pinch of modernity with pink neon outlines of women's figures from the paintings, showing that this beauty is timeless.
The styling of each outfit was inspired by the brand identity of street styles seen before shows during Milan Fashion Week to present the project to a larger audience and catch the attention of the press.

During that time, women were still oppressed and did not have equal rights. But the silver lining is this: the idea of making women smaller, no matter what their genetics presume, is just a trend.

You are beautiful the way you are now. Your body is not a trend, and you have the right to take up more space—art from the Renaissance is proof and inspiration.