I’m Seeing People Who Look Like My Size-14 Self on the Red Carpet, Finally

2017 is already shaping up to be a red carpet season where we can expect to see a much more diverse array of bodies front and center. This isn't random—it's the product of years of work on the part of body-positive activists, plus-size models, designers, and more. Here's how they did it.

I’m Seeing People Who Look Like My Size-14 Self on the Red Carpet, Finally

Part of my job as a fashion editor is to watch awards shows and report on the red carpet. I know, woe is me. But as fun as it is to write about celebrities wearing pretty dresses, a part of me has always felt like an outsider looking in. Why? Believe it or not, it's not because I don't own custom designer gowns and diamonds for days. It's because very few women on the carpet actually look like my size-14 self.

When I did see curvy stars, they'd be dressed in head-to-toe black looks or something that a mother of the bride would wear. Harsh, I know, but I assume that's because these women take what they can get—and if they don't fit into designer samples (which are a size 2 only) what they can get isn't a lot. Even Beyoncé said as much at 2016's CFDA Awards: “When we were starting out in Destiny’s Child, high-end labels, they didn’t want to dress black, country, curvy girls." Melissa McCarthy also revealed that no designers would dress her for the 2012 Oscars, even though she had asked five or six of them. And new faces like Dascha Polanco have gone on the record saying, "My industry friends, who are clear and honest with me, say, 'Girl, they don’t have your size.'"

On the upside, there are already strong indications that 2017 is going to be the start of a far better red-carpet season for these women. Thanks to 2016's massive strides in body positivity, it's already become a more inclusive and fashionable place for stars above sample size. Here's how:

Plus-Size Influencers Are Front and Center
All the headway made by influencers like Ashley Graham (assisted by brands like Lane Bryant and Aerie) contributed to a rise in diverse bodies represented in the media in 2016. Now we see stars like her, Chrissy Metz, Danielle Brooks, and Aidy Bryant on an increasing number of red carpets—and they're not just in the background! Graham even hosted the 2016 Oscars red carpet for E! News, wearing the Bao Tranchi dress above. The red number made headlines—but according to the model, it wasn't easy to find. Here's why: "If you don't fit into a sample that just needs a quick alteration, it's almost impossible [to find a dress]," she told me. "I didn't know I was going until two weeks before, and at that point designers were already neck deep in designing custom pieces. Bao and I actually got set up by a friend who texted me, saying Bao wanted to dress me." This year E! covered the scoop on who would be dressing Metz two days before the Golden Globes. See? Progress, people.

Social Media Really Does Effect Change
The credit for this positive movement doesn't all go to these leading ladies; it goes to you too. (Yes, you!) Social media is a pillar of the body-positive movement, so every time you share something relevant on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, you give it life—and it was clear that a lot of the ideas shared online in 2016 resonated with women everywhere. I'd like to think that a vocal online community inspires celebs to be braver about speaking out. Case in point: When Leslie Jones couldn't find a designer to make her a dress for her Ghostbusters premiere, she tweeted, "It's so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress for [my] movie. Hmmm that will change and I remember everything." After seeing the tweet and personally responding, Siriano stepped in and made her the below gown.

New Designers and Stylists Are Good at Breaking Conventions
There's a wave of fresh design talent that doesn't feel obligated to stick to the "only dressing size twos" status quo. These rule breakers are a vital ingredient in the change we see happening on the red carpet—and clearly Siriano leads the pack. He dressed nine women for 2016's Primetime Emmys: Angela Bassett, Niecy Nash, Maura Tierney, Anna Chlumsky, Neve Campbell, Laurie Metcalf, Lauren Adams, Kathy Bates, and Jones. When we last spoke, he told me, "If I’m watching a movie or I’m watching a show like SNL—that’s kind of what happened with Leslie—I just think that they're funny and cool, I don’t really think about everything else. Why wouldn’t they be included? I want the people wearing our clothes to be diverse. It’s more interesting than the same old It girls."

Another designer to watch is Nathan Paul, who dressed Metz for the 2017 Golden Globes in the velvet dress above. And Meaghan O'Connor, who styles Orange Is the New Black's Adrienne C. Moore (below), has shown us that stylists have power too. According to her, there are less than a handful of big-name fashion brands that will dress bigger clients, so she prefers to work with up-and-comers who share her POV: "For the 2016 SAG awards, my client and I partnered with Elann Zelie, an indie designer based out of Los Angeles."

Collaborations Create Unprecedented Options
It's hard to make major, industry-shaking change all by yourself, so partnerships are also important. The perfect example: Bryant and Eloquii teamed up to make a dress for her to wear to the 2016 Primetime Emmys. When I caught up with Bryant last month, she said, "That was a big moment for me to not have to stress about what I was going to wear. My stylist and I usually do whatever it takes—even if that means buying two of something and combining them to make it an option for myself. It was a really different experience to be actively included [by a brand] as opposed to fighting the usual battle and hoping for the best."

This year I'd be willing to bet that we'll see even more brands thinking outside the box, like Eloquii. (Incidentally, the brand capitalized on Bryant's red-carpet moment by producing the custom dress and selling it on its site—smart move.) Bryant's thoughts? "As our entertainment gets better at representing new faces, bodies, and different types of people with shows like SNL or Orange Is the New Black, fashion has a responsibility of representing that too." Mic drop.

This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Condé Nast