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It’s no secret that fashion is one hell of a merciless industry. I mean, how many times have we heard how unrealistic body image standards and high expectations have pushed girls to the brink of insanity? And although the stigma around plus-size models is fading away, the steps are so tiny, it’s barely visible.

Luckily, more and more women are willing to take matters into their own hands and rewrite fashion industry rules altogether. One plus-size model, Denise Mercedes, is doing just that. The size 14 Dominican model has launched a TikTok challenge titled “Style Not Size” with her friend Maria Castellanos. The two friends of different body types are putting on the same outfits, sharing the snack-sized videos to 1.7M followers, and showing that beauty comes in all shapes and forms. Their videos have now been liked a whopping 30.6M times, proving that healthy and happy women rule the world!

More info: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | DeniseMercedes.com

#3

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SoozeeQ
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why are people downvoting Debster? I think she meant to be complimentary to the curvier girl. She has a gorgeous figure.

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When Denise was 16 and a petite size 8, she started submitting her pictures to modeling agencies, but her height was too short for industry standards. She kept on posing for the camera as a side hobby until she turned 21 and had gone up to a size 14.

According to a statement on her website, Denise started putting outfits together and posting her cool photos on social media. She is an avid advocate of body positivity and runs a campaign #becauseitsmybody dedicated to women of all shapes and sizes. She now has collaborated with many fashion design brands and boutiques like Forever21, Target, and JCPenney.

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There’s a huge gap between fashion industry standards and real-life women, who measure a size 16 around the waist on average in America. Moreover, plus-size girls represent 68% of fashion shoppers, according to Glamour, and yet a very small percentage of them actually work in the fashion industry.

Only in 2016, Ashley Graham became the first plus-size model on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition and paved the way for models with curves. But the model herself told CBS Sunday Morning that she doesn’t like the word “plus-size” because it’s “so divisive to women” and puts them into categories.

Many women find the representation of diverse body types in media more assuring. In fact, this study by Florida State University found that women tend to experience deeper body satisfaction and retain a memory of plus-size models better than that of the thinner ones. It also pointed out that exposure to “unrealistic-sized media models” has a negative effect on the consumer’s “mental and physical health, including experiencing lower body satisfaction.”

#10

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athornedrose
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

she's crushing so many crop tops, and i just don't have the confidence for it. gorgeous

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#12

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Donna Leske
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Perfect summer wear. And for haters, they are COVERED, no cleavage, no crack in the back, skirt long enough. Don't be jealous.

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Pam Olson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is my favorite - it is a pretty color and it looks great on both of them.

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LoPandas
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ooooooh, I like this. I may need to go hunting for a bikini like this.

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sJm
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the first one where I think the outfit suits the slimmer girl better. Else the bigger girl wears everything else heaps better.

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Sandra Simpson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Personally, I think that this outfit suits slim girl better. No offense to curvy girl.

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Gin
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry, but the buttons shouldn't be tearing apart. It's a beautiful dress, just get a size larger.

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Sue Knerl
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I absolutely hate the torn pants. I prefer to wear out my own.

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Sharon Danner
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it just me , or do most outfits actually look better on the "bigger" girl!?!

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IZama
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! I wasn't expecting that. I sent this to my husband without adding any text and he after looking he said, "Wow! The dark haired girl looks the best in most of these outfits. Both are attractive but I think the dark haired girl gives more style to the clothes." My thoughts exactly.

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Shelley DuVal
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly, there is torn jeans, and then there are devastated jeans. These are devastated,

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Janine Hunt-Jackson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At least half of these pictures show the curvier model slightly or more, behind the slender one. What's up with that?

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Steve
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most of these outfits look terrible on both of them. Good to way prove bad fashion is universal

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Guido Martin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

being just a mere man could somebody explain the point of these pictures? That beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Or possibly it doesn't matter if you are skinny or fat there are clearly endless ways to make yourself look cheap and ridiculous! oh dear I've only gone and done itnow!

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Nothanks L. Walk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay we get it, big girls probably need to steer clear of torn clothing.

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melbfk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Great tops but jeans so shredded that they'd look better as shorts.

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George Hudacko
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay but you aren't suppose to to bulge out of the cuts thigh cuts!

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Jane W.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the days of bellbottom jeans, my 5'1" friend and I would go shopping together (I'm 5'8") and try on the same clothes,. She would have to shorten the jeans, cutting off the entire BELL at the bottom, thereby rendering it straight legged. Definitely an issue back then.

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tsion takele
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like them both but I think I loved the + size one for real. Wow

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꧁༺ʍǟռɢօ༻꧂
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ooh, smaller holes, less baggy. Those pants don't look very good... But, hey. They wore it well even in the condition they were in!

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Rylies Meema
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This makes me wonder why on earth the catwalks have become filled with thin shapeless women...?? Beautiful, just beautiful

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Rã. R. Field
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

*..why the fascination for torn jeans? This has gone on for decades and people pay a fortune for them when they are really easy to make, though buy a decent pair of jeans from a seconds shop. Do a little research on how to get the look as it takes a little bit more than just putting the scissors to them > though not much:)

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Eun-Young Jang
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

to me: in general onepieces look better on the thin girl, and twopieces look better on the curvier girl.... except the yellow and the black/white twopieces.. also the pants are horrible.... they dont suit either girl xD sorry....

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Camilla Bancos
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Barb Petersen I’m Latín American and in the US and the majority of guys aren’t into thin girls like that anymore. There was a time where I wanted to look like the thin girl because they got all the attention, but I lucked out in the end because these days girls are buying fake lips and boobs and butts to have the kind of curves that men are looking for these days.

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Surani Amwesh
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They both look good, but personally I think in almost all the outfits I prefer the curves, and don't really like the straight up and down look (she probably has a nice personality... Hey come on I'm joking, that IS what they usually say about people who aren't slender isn't it??)

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Lilly's happy place
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i LOVE this look that top on point, but them jeans could use a little bit of help

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Cheryl Towers
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These outfits are internationally meantTo make the larger women look terrible. More appropriate outfits should have been chosen.

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Teresa Groth
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The ones I marked down I thought were wrong for both of them and I think overall they both looked nice in twin out fits!

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Karry Flynn
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

thought we were done with body shaming you both are beautiful you should not be any thing but your self self love

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Myriam Willey
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

there must have been alot of returns that day!!lol. they are both beautiful.

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Eun-Young Jang
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

to me... onepieces look better on the thinner girl, and twopieces look better on the curvier girl.... except the ones with pants.... pants look horrible on both xD sorry...

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Yvonne Blau
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can't believe people have different opinions? How are you even getting through life?

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Inga Viviane
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Both are young and cute, but with that kind of weight shes gonna run into health issues in the long run. Its uncool to say that, but it is true. And it looks like a fashion nova commercial;)

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Barb Peterson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I disagree with you guys here. I think there is a determined effort being made to force people to say that fat is beautiful. As if by simply saying it, you can make it so. While I don’t believe in deliberately making someone feel badly about their appearance, I don’t find fat pretty. Subcutaneous white fat, marbled and lumpy, is ugly, and you cannot force people to say it is. It makes you feel good about yourself to pretend that all sizes “can rock” a bodycon dress, but it ain’t so. Rolls are not what the dress is designed to accentuate. You fail to take into account the purpose of certain styles of clothing. If you think I’m wrong, that’s cool, but look at a real study of what men find physically attractive about women, and fat will not even make the list. In fact...here you go: https://peerj.com/articles/1155/ Neither of these girls look like they exercise. But, 9 guys out of 10 will pick the skinny girl. Truth.

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Deborah Mckee
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You need to talk to more guys. I think you are misinformed. It is a matter of preference. I don't find the thin girl attractive; just like you don't find the curvy girl attractive. Oh and where are the "rolls" you talk about?

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John Doe
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is an underline sadness in her face, as if she knows deep down she will never be the shape she really want to be. As an act of defiance and perhaps denial she does this, to mask her true pain in knowing her inevitable future. A future that will bring heart disease, diabetes, loss of digits and or extremities, joint pain, etc etc. Chocolate is not love.

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Sara Lang
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the larger girl looks hideous in these outfits. Not what I was expecting at all. I thought the post was going to show how differently the same outfit could look on different body types. This post was badly described. All this is, is "fat girl, thin girl" wearing the same clothes. So what?

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Stacey Gates
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's see… "same outfit" = "same clothes", "different body types" = "fat girl, thin girl". So the post actually does "show how differently the same outfit looks on different body types". But you're complaining??

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Colleen Garland
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3 years ago

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I much prefer the larger one. The skinny one looks like a 10 year old boy. More shape is better in clothes. They are both adorable though, you can see they have fun together. They certainly have that in common and that's more important.

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