There are a lot of things that can be said about the fashion industry, one of them being that it has created an unrealistic and virtually unattainable idea of beauty. You hear about models being fired from companies and brands for not being size zeros all the time. Take for instance the Ralph Lauren model, Filippa Hamilton, who was Photoshopped to look stick, and then was told she "couldn't fit in their clothes anymore" because she was "too large." Even rapper Iggy Azalea was asked by Elite Models to lose four inches off her hips. That message carries over to women and young girls—young girls like the 13-year-old Rita Ora was years ago.
The British singer recently opened up about her struggle with body confidence. "There was a point in school when I was, like, thirteen, that I didn't feel comfortable at all," she told Teen Vogue. "I matured more quickly than the other girls; I had bigger breasts and a bigger bum—and I hated it. I would get extra-tight leotards for my dance classes [to flatten me] because I was really ashamed of my body." She eventually got over with help from (wait for it) Beyoncé, the Bootylicious queen herself, who called out H&M after hearing the company had plans of retouching her ads. "At one point, I just woke up, like, 'I love my boobs, I love my skin, I love myself. And I'm going to get a leotard that actually fits because I can't breathe," Ora said.
[via Teen Vogue]
