By Agnese Augusta Patriarca Bertoli and Agnete Bay Blichfeldt. Cover image by Anano Esartia.
It’s easy to assume that with the social progress of recent years, body positivity, equality and freedom are already secured. But are they truly? Fashion should be a safe place, a little folder in our harsh reality where everyone can be themselves, explore their creativity and feel free from judgment.
However, fashion also reflects society and social movements. Looking back at recent fashion shows, this ideal appears far from reality. Female bodies have long been exploited to gain approval from the patriarchal gaze. But when will this end? After a decade of apparent inclusivity and body positivity in fashion, we seem to have regressed: the industry is returning to promoting slim, skinny, sexy, and “bouncy” bodies that feel less like individual expressions and more like societal expectations.
What Happened to Body Positivity in Fashion?
How Fragile Female Bodies Reflect Social Change
A skinny body is a fragile body. Let’s take a step back and focus on the world we are currently living in, which, unfortunately, we are helping to create. With wars, the rise of right-wing movements all over the world and increasing global violence, one may wonder: how does this impact the female body in fashion? The connection between fragile female bodies and the rise of extreme right-wing is more direct than we realise. A malnourished body cannot defend itself, just as a malnourished mind struggles with critical thinking.
In a conservative view of society, women are often seen as mere elements of the backdrop—baby-making machines that shouldn’t step outside the home environment. They are perceived as beings that really shouldn’t rebel against their roles as wives and girlfriends. The push to return to these outdated gender roles is a reaction to the growing empowerment of women. The stability once associated with a primitive narrative—where men hunted, and women cared for the home—is now disrupted by women’s desire for equality, not just on paper but in real life. As the patriarchal system starts to crumble, the violence escalates.
Duran Lantink: Exploring the Thin Line Between Provocation and Objectification
Capitalism is often driven by two powerful forces: money and sex. So, let’s break down Duran Lantink’s FW 25 collection—a showcase of 53 looks that culminated in a striking moment with a blonde, slim male model wearing a silicone breastplate. This particular look bounced its way through every screen, gaining visibility and hype. This collection seems to suggest that curvy bodies are acceptable, but only when the curves are artificial rather than natural—ready to be detached and discarded. The underlying message seems to be that it’s fine to flaunt exaggerated, bouncy breasts, provided a white man is the one wearing them. Despite claims of female empowerment and gender fluidity, these concepts felt disconnected from the actual runway presentation. Instead, the show seemed designed to attract as many viewers (presumably male) as possible in the easiest and most objectifying manner: by exploiting women’s bodies and stripping them of any sense of autonomy.
“It’s really important to start figuring out new things and not care too much about the rules,” Duran Lantink said backstage during the show. But what rules is he referring to? And what exactly is he trying to “figure out”?
The show comes at a pivotal moment in Lantink’s career. Following the end of Jean Paul Gaultier’s collaborative era, Duran Lantink has been officially appointed as the new permanent Creative Director of the House of Jean Paul Gaultier. His first ready-to-wear collection under this role will debut during Women’s Fashion Week in Paris this September, with his Haute Couture debut scheduled for January 2026. Jean Paul Gaultier himself welcomed Lantink, stating: “I see in him the energy, audacity, and playful spirit through fashion that I had at the beginning of my own journey: the new ‘enfant terrible’ of fashion. Welcome, Duran.
Diesel SS25 Campaign Featuring Katie Price
Duran Lantnik is not the only designer using the female body as an eye-catching element in their promotions. Diesel’s latest SS25 campaign took a controversial turn by featuring erotic model Katie Price. In a recent interview with Dazed magazine, she revealed that it took her 30 years to finally break into the realm of high fashion. This campaign was presented as an extraordinary symbol of the luxury segment’s expansion to new female archetypes, including a more liberated approach to female sexuality. However, what do we actually see when we look at the images? In one shot, Price’s breasts serve merely as a frame for the latest Diesel purse while she gazes blankly at the camera, her mouth open. In her other image, she stands with a group of eight people, but notably, she is the only one not dressed.
Instead of integrating Katie Price into the high fashion world, Diesel seems to be appropriating her own persona. With all due respect to Katie Price’s contributions to the campaign, Diesel does not portray her as a sexually liberated woman; rather, they present her as a visual attraction. She is placed as an erotic spectacle, a body that is there to be gazed at, designed to shock and intrigue the viewer.
Embodying a quality of being “to be looked at,” Price does not conform to the typical standards of slim, flat-chested models. In today’s economy of attention, she becomes a powerful tool, illustrating the commercial value of female objectification. The male creative director, Glenn Martens, and male photographer, Frank Lebon, have used her for this purpose.
Is Body Positivity in fashion still crucial in creative acts?
Prada’s FW25: Redefining Female Empowerment and Freedom in Fashion
Let’s change countries and switch our focus back to Milan: Prada, Prada, Prada! Miuccia (along with Raf Simons) is, at her core, a girl’s girl. Prada shows will always offer a safe space to embrace the magic of fashion. This is the little world I mentioned earlier, where anything is possible.
For the FW25 runway, Miuccia presented mostly oversized silhouettes. These garments not only protect women from sexualisation but also provide a hidden space for freedom. There’s no need to style your hair, wear makeup, or don revealing clothing to embody Prada’s vision. These garments offer liberation, breaking free from the pressure to cater to the male gaze. They’re unfiltered, genuine, and emotional, featuring visible stitching and barely touching the body. The collection allows for self-expression and an embrace of raw authenticity without the need to fit in. It’s a magical world with no restrictions—who knows what’s going on under those “non-sexualisable” clothes.
Recent releases from the fashion industry highlight a world undergoing significant change. While we often celebrate fashion for its creativity and exploration of new ideas, it is also an industry rooted in repetition and nostalgia. In times of transformation, fashion tends to seek comfort in the past, as evidenced by the return of previous ideals and ideologies. Currently, we observe that female bodies are divided into two archetypes: the slim, fragile body that is so “normal” it almost fades into the clothing, and the “vulgar” body, which is fragmented and viewed as a collection of body parts rather than a whole entity.
In contrast, Prada’s latest collection moves away from the sexualisation of the female figure and introduces a new ideal that allows viewers to see the body as a unified entity. Yet, one might question whether using clothing as a “shield” truly represents a step towards a freer interpretation of female physicality. For instance, on platforms like Instagram, men can openly display their nipples, whereas a woman’s breast remains banned. This indicates that while showing breasts can create controversy, concealing them under a Prada ensemble may reflect a submission to existing taboos. The female body finds itself caught in an impossible dilemma. Body positivity in fashion is still a huge challenge.
