Stepping Out from Big and Tall

Concerns with fat shaming and body positivity tend to be discussed as issues that affect only women. Big and tall departments have long been the place where larger men were banished to find what they could wear. But now it seems that a fashion icon for plus-size men is stepping forward in the person of Zach Miko. Speaking to the New York Times, Miko describes the significance of the warm reception he has found from men who are tired of being fat shamed:

I was always the big kid who felt like the outsider. For me the coolest thing about this is that kids like me can look at a website or a magazine and see somebody their size instead of these Adonises. I think that’s going to do amazing things for their self-esteem.

Unfortunately, not everyone has gotten the message. Just before April Fools’ Day, American Eagle launched a parody ad campaign that mocked the idea of body positivity for men. When people were not amused, the PR folks at American Eagle tried to spin their misadventure as “an opportunity for us to raise awareness about body positivity.”

Uh-huh.

Click here to read more from the New York Times.

The Man, photograph © Laughlin Elkind / flickr

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May 10, 2016