It’s no secret that the fashion industry still largely struggles with inclusivity toward bodies. Today, it’s up to the models, influencers and photographers to spark change and rewrite the rules. Many of them are tirelessly doing exactly that.
Two best friends and social media creators named Denise Mercedes and Maria Castellanos went viral for their “Style Not Size” project which promotes body positivity a couple of years ago. Today, they continue to spread their message, saying that nobody should be confined to what society tells us is the correct thing to wear for specific sizes.
So they’re taking this approach to daily life and the streets of New York, where the duo is putting the same outfit on their different body types. The result is both empowering and normalizing, urging society to get rid of the outdated notion of the “wrong” clothes for the “wrong” bodies.
Scroll down for the most recent Style Not Size looks, upvote your favorite ones and be sure to check out more of the duo’s fashion inspiration in our previous posts here, here, and here.
Denise: DeniseMercedes.com | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Maria: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
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This style fits them both so well 🥵 I have officially been slayed
They both have besutiful bodies and this dress ks only showing their silhouette in black. I'd like to see the same in a beautiful body with a big belly, no big teetsand no big hips, for example.
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I have absolutely no why in the world you are getting downvoted. I think black can look incredibly elegant on both men and women.
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This just shows if you buy your true size you will look smashing in any outfit.
They both look beautiful but the girl on the right looks better with her curves
The smaller woman looks more shapely in this outfit than any of the others, so I lean over the fence for her.
Part of me is very sorry right now, because I try to be respectful of women and appreciate more than surface aesthetics, but the other part of me is too distracted by the nice lady on the right O_O
I know it’s not a competition but this dress flatters the slender figure very well, just not so much for the larger figure.
In my opinion it's the exact opposite. The dress hugs her curves so well. Don't get me wrong, they both look stunning, but my eyes are instantly drawn to the lady on the right.
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My opinion only..... I don't think this dress is at all flattering on either of them. It's a trashy dress that makes them both look terrible.
The viral “Style not Size” project was launched three years ago when Maria came up with an idea to pose for photos wearing the same bikini. “It blew up on social media and people reacted so positively to it that we continued doing it here and there,” Denise told Bored Panda in an earlier interview.
The very first video that the now famous duo shared on TikTok amassed more than 1.5 million views and three years later, they're nowhere near stopping. “Once TikTok had become popular, we decided to do a fun video and that’s when it went viral,” Denise said.
Maria and Denise, at first, wore a similar style outfit but not the exact same pieces. “I think we really wanted to push the boundaries and go for it! We dressed from head to toe to really showcase one same look on different bodies,” Maria told Bored Panda.
The friends loved the public’s response, and not much later, they were already treating their hobby as a job. For them, it’s a job to educate and open people’s eyes to the endless possibilities in fashion. These days, Maria and Denise not only post more content more often, they also cater to every style so that there’s content to be enjoyed by everyone.
No wonder that the Style Not Size project has managed to remain as relevant as it was in the beginning despite the fact that much of the viral content loses its relevance with time.
Curvy lady absolutely steals the show with this dress 😍 although this dress is making the slender lady look quite curvy too! Both of them nailed it 👏 I have 0 curves so maybe I’ll buy this dress!
The duo’s key message is to dress however you please and to love your body. The pair believes that it’s time to stop comparing yourself to others, and they hope that their Style Not Size project will inspire people to feel good in their own skin. No matter our bodies, sizes, and whatever people think.
Denise also stated that “the fact that we can inspire so many women to feel confident and be themselves makes us want to continue this movement.” The pair is over the moon to get so much positivity from people on social media.
For curvy ladies, Denise’s go-to combo in the autumn season is “some high-rise mom jeans, boots, a shirt and a leather jacket.” You can’t go wrong with it!
Adding this dress to the shopping list! This is so flattering, I feel like anyone would look good in it :)
Interesting what clothes do for the visual of body shapes as they look somewhat similar here.
Honestly I could wear this to work tomorrow (with a longer top, no midriff - and I'd still come nowhere near to killing it this hard)
This is what fashion companies should do: show the same outfits on different body types.
It's beautiful! But the string looks a little photoshopped lol. But both ladies are gorgeous.
Note: this post originally had 45 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Who designed these outfits? A lot of them look really weird and ugly, regardless of the body type of the wearer.
I think they're just fast fashion. Very cheap looking, poorly made clothes. That these ladies can actually make these clothes look decent, is a testament to their attractiveness and nothing to do with the clothes
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when will bp learn that nobody is here to look at instagram influencers taking poor-quality photos of themselves in ugly clothes to prove a point that didn't need to be proved? all of us here are decent folks who know people can be beautiful & fashionable regardless of body type. this article is pointless clout-chasing. not to mention the curvy girl is still conventionally attractive, with a perfect hourglass figure, flat stomach, & 0 stretch marks. not a whole lot of curvy women look 100% flawless like that, so they ruined their own point of "everyone can be beautiful in the same styles!" by only using conventionally attractive models.
You would be right, except you forgot one important fact. These ladies are not models. They only represent themselves. Your judgement is unfair to their whole concept, which is to love the body you got and to wear what you want, regardless of societies expectations. No one should put oneself in a box.
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Body positivity is great. but maybe it should stretch beyond a conventionally attractive plus size person and a somewhat curvy skinny person. I'd have liked to see people with more "imperfect" bodies, too
I would love to know where they're getting these clothes thank don't seem to follow the standard "let's just make the plus size version bigger all around" and how the plus size friend has managed to find so many outfits that fit her perfectly....this is not representative of the plus size experience. I suspect these clothes were made or altered to their personal measurements. I hate this trend. The bigger woman is always proportioned in the conventionally acceptable way (waist to hip ratio, flatter stomach) and it's completely unrealistic.
Considering they're content creators, their photography skills are horrendous!
Lol well as someone who can barely operate a phone camera, they're better than what I got! 😂😂
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One is thin, and the other one has an hourglass shape, which means virtually everything will suit them. Not really a challenge
Exactly! They both seem to have the same body type, one is just a bit on a plus size
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These girls are gorgeous, and the dresses perfectly fit either body type!
They need taller photographer. That angle is ... i hate it. And I liked outfits on curvy girl more than on other girl. There is many colour choises which is unflaterring on pale skin.
I love these and hope they do more. I am actually surprised people are making negative comments. If you hated it so much why did you keep looking except to be nasty
i love curvy body's and mine isn't curvy so I am partial to the curvy friend. in my opinion she looks better. don't downvote me for my opinion please, I just am saying that I think the curvy one IN MY OPINION looks better. Ik its prob all about the fact that just because one is petite doesn't mean she isn't pretty, cause i am petite.
Why is everyone bein so rude? Not everyone can afford whatever. So what if they are cheap? They are just tryin to say everyone is beautiful
Block colour, minimal pattern and generally rainforest tones are always going to look good on bronzed skin - it has little to do with the curves. Now try some less fitted/contoured outfits with a range of patterns and materials and textures mixed: the sort of thing that most people do. For the next shoot, give white girl an equal tan!
I was impressed that these ladies questioned and challenged the societal norm that certain body types shouldn't wear certain styles. They both looked lovely and I loved their zest and zeal.
Frankly, not even one garment out of all of these looked good on either of the ladies. The women themselves are beautiful, so I can't help but wonder why such shoddy, ugly things were given them to model. Most of them looked like they should be in the landfill, but certainly not seen in public.
people, please stop saying that one of them looks better! it might be true, but that’s not the point of this article :(
The big girl absolutely slayed and her curves are on point I also think The outfits fit her body so well
Beautiful women...embrace your body. Be who you are and hold nothing back...those who talk down on you are just jeaous cause you're rocking it!
Who designed these outfits? A lot of them look really weird and ugly, regardless of the body type of the wearer.
I think they're just fast fashion. Very cheap looking, poorly made clothes. That these ladies can actually make these clothes look decent, is a testament to their attractiveness and nothing to do with the clothes
Load More Replies... when will bp learn that nobody is here to look at instagram influencers taking poor-quality photos of themselves in ugly clothes to prove a point that didn't need to be proved? all of us here are decent folks who know people can be beautiful & fashionable regardless of body type. this article is pointless clout-chasing. not to mention the curvy girl is still conventionally attractive, with a perfect hourglass figure, flat stomach, & 0 stretch marks. not a whole lot of curvy women look 100% flawless like that, so they ruined their own point of "everyone can be beautiful in the same styles!" by only using conventionally attractive models.
You would be right, except you forgot one important fact. These ladies are not models. They only represent themselves. Your judgement is unfair to their whole concept, which is to love the body you got and to wear what you want, regardless of societies expectations. No one should put oneself in a box.
Load More Replies... Body positivity is great. but maybe it should stretch beyond a conventionally attractive plus size person and a somewhat curvy skinny person. I'd have liked to see people with more "imperfect" bodies, too
I would love to know where they're getting these clothes thank don't seem to follow the standard "let's just make the plus size version bigger all around" and how the plus size friend has managed to find so many outfits that fit her perfectly....this is not representative of the plus size experience. I suspect these clothes were made or altered to their personal measurements. I hate this trend. The bigger woman is always proportioned in the conventionally acceptable way (waist to hip ratio, flatter stomach) and it's completely unrealistic.
Considering they're content creators, their photography skills are horrendous!
Lol well as someone who can barely operate a phone camera, they're better than what I got! 😂😂
Load More Replies... One is thin, and the other one has an hourglass shape, which means virtually everything will suit them. Not really a challenge
Exactly! They both seem to have the same body type, one is just a bit on a plus size
Load More Replies... These girls are gorgeous, and the dresses perfectly fit either body type!
They need taller photographer. That angle is ... i hate it. And I liked outfits on curvy girl more than on other girl. There is many colour choises which is unflaterring on pale skin.
I love these and hope they do more. I am actually surprised people are making negative comments. If you hated it so much why did you keep looking except to be nasty
i love curvy body's and mine isn't curvy so I am partial to the curvy friend. in my opinion she looks better. don't downvote me for my opinion please, I just am saying that I think the curvy one IN MY OPINION looks better. Ik its prob all about the fact that just because one is petite doesn't mean she isn't pretty, cause i am petite.
Why is everyone bein so rude? Not everyone can afford whatever. So what if they are cheap? They are just tryin to say everyone is beautiful
Block colour, minimal pattern and generally rainforest tones are always going to look good on bronzed skin - it has little to do with the curves. Now try some less fitted/contoured outfits with a range of patterns and materials and textures mixed: the sort of thing that most people do. For the next shoot, give white girl an equal tan!
I was impressed that these ladies questioned and challenged the societal norm that certain body types shouldn't wear certain styles. They both looked lovely and I loved their zest and zeal.
Frankly, not even one garment out of all of these looked good on either of the ladies. The women themselves are beautiful, so I can't help but wonder why such shoddy, ugly things were given them to model. Most of them looked like they should be in the landfill, but certainly not seen in public.
people, please stop saying that one of them looks better! it might be true, but that’s not the point of this article :(
The big girl absolutely slayed and her curves are on point I also think The outfits fit her body so well
Beautiful women...embrace your body. Be who you are and hold nothing back...those who talk down on you are just jeaous cause you're rocking it!
