I’m a proud plus-sized stylist – I hate wearing shapewear like Kim Kardashian’s Skims, it plays on women’s insecurities
THE tight-fitting feature of shapewear has been designed to contour and confine our bodies to look and fit different under clothes, but is that what we want or what we're made to think we need?
Though brands like Skims continue to receive a high demand for their shapewear, plus-sized stylist Kat Eves argued the appeal of these undergarments is a play on women's insecurities.
“Can I get super real with this?” Kat asks over the phone.
What began as a conversation about inclusivity in trends has shifted to body standards in the fashion industry, and Kat tells The U.S. Sun shapewear is a contributor.
"I am someone who has been on many diets, struggled with eating disorders in the past, and had a really tough relationship with food and my body."
The 37-year-old stylist takes a long, drawn-out breath.
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"We have to get away from this idea that our bodies are math equations to be solved."
But the allure of shapewear can make this hard for women to do.
With years of experience styling celebrity comedians and TV stars, the LA-based stylist has worked to cultivate a sustainable, ethical, and inclusive space in style.
As a plus-size woman, Kat founded The Style Ethic hoping to help inspire others to play around with clothing they haven't tried before.
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Kat's professional career began with her first client Chris Reed, an actor in the television series Sons of Anarchy.
From famous comedian Dulcé Sloan to the talented Walking Dead star Pollyanna McIntosh, her client list includes transformative celebrities, as well as private individuals.
“I work with people of literally every body type. Every size, every shape, every ability, and that’s my focus,” Kat explains.
“I do not allow people to just outright hate themselves in my space. I create a space that’s loving and curious and open to possibilities.”
For her, the open mind she may have had for shapewear got crushed by her multiple attempts to wear it.
Each experiment resulted in a swift tear of the material off her body.
Squeezing herself into these miniature-sized bodysuits and compression shorts has never been Kat's thing.
"I hate wearing it. It’s not comfortable for me. I can’t tell you the number of times I have pulled shapewear off me in the middle of an event because I just couldn’t do it," Kat admits.
From Kim Kardashian's Skims to Spanx and Honeylove, the shapewear market is bigger than you'd think.
When asked about Skims shapewear, Kat responds:
"I have mixed opinions about shapewear. For me personally, it’s not really something I want to have in my wardrobe.”
But her distaste for these undergarments isn't just because they make her feel uncomfortable.
The beauty standards they conform to are the root of her frustration.
According to Kat, shapewear marketing is the issue.
“I know that historically, marketing things to women based on their insecurities have worked really well,” she explains.
“I don’t love how shapewear is marketed to people in terms of changing their shape."
There was a time in fashion when having curves wasn't "desirable," but this isn't the case anymore.
Kat argues the plus-size community and the visibility of diverse individuals in fashion is growing fast.
The designer runway lined with size zero models has been replaced with women representing all different sizes and abilities.
Yet, industry creations such as shapewear jeopardize these steps toward inclusivity and can influence women to view their bodies as an obstacle.
Kat believes: "We’ve got to get away from this idea that the body needs to fit a trend."
'When I was a kid, I would look in the mirror and think about how I wish I could take a pair of scissors and cut off my stomach'
Body trends promote the concept of forcing yourself to feel confident in clothes rather than finding clothes that you automatically feel confident in.
"Chasing trends in fashion and body types is something that can be a little soul-sucking after a while,” Kat says.
"I have been a fat person most of my life and so my relationship with my body had been very complicated for a very long time, and it still is to a certain degree.”
At 18 years old Kat was diagnosed with lupus.
Not only was she struggling with her physical and mental health, but she was forced to deal with people who didn't believe she was sick because of her weight.
Kat admits: "When I was a kid, I would look in the mirror and think about how I wish I could take a pair of scissors and cut off my stomach.”
What she would come to realize is that there's always someone who wants the body you have, even though there will always be fatphobic people, and body "standards" are fleeting.
While Kat refrains from adding shapewear to her wardrobe, she'll never persuade her clients to avoid it if wearing it makes them feel most comfortable and confident.
"For my clients, divorced from my feelings, it really does go back to what they like and what they feel good in," she says.
"It’s not my job to talk them out of it. It’s my job to help make them feel the best.”
Kat's mission as a stylist surpasses that of other individuals in her profession.
Her goal is to work with individuals that want to be a part of the solution to a prolongation of body hate in fashion.
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"I do not want to be the person who invalidates how someone is feeling today about their body, but it’s important we all understand that this is a process we can change over time," she expresses.
If Kat's client exhibits self-assurance and body positivity while wearing Spanx or Skims, so be it.