Grossophobie: What it is and What Paris is Doing About it

With Paris Fashion Week displaying who and what to wear for the upcoming seasons, Paris has a front row seat to the upcoming definitions of beauty, where new trends emerge and old trends fizzle. One of the trends Paris has been working to extinguish this year is the phenomenon known as “grossophobie.”

Grossophobie, literally translated to “fatphobia,” has taken over media and mindsets in France for the past few years. Commonly known as “fat shaming” in the United States, grossophobie can be as bold as discrimination during the hiring process or as subtle as a disgusted glance on a crowded metro. Regardless of the type, with nearly 40 percent of France considered overweight according to the OECD, the Parisian caricature that looks more like a celery stick than a person is changing and changing quickly. Paris is heading the movement to ensure this association of weight and worth changes with it.

Paris has become a pioneer for plus-sized positivity. In 2017, Paris launched its “Fathobia, stop! Taking action together” campaign, distributing plenty of information pamphlets and body positivity in formal panels and casual nightclubs. Paris is one of the first cities to launch a plus-sized fashion show, also featured in the campaign, and the first city to host a plus-sized fashion week. Paris headed into 2019 with full momentum to further its efforts. One of the most notable accomplishments of this year is that Paris will host the International Conference on Body Sociology and Body Image in April. 

However, even with their international efforts, Paris is now facing Fashion Week in a field of phobia. According to The Fashion Spot’s diversity report for fall 2018, Paris featured only 3 plus-sized models during their season. This is in part because most of the brands featured on the runway–including some of our top American designers–do not offer plus-sized clothing. 

We’ll have to wait and see how the plus-sized statistics play out during this year’s Fashion Week. If previous Fashion Weeks are any indication, Paris will be once again fighting an uphill battle to combat grossophobie on the runway. However, bit by bit, Paris is working to make the definition of beauty a little less narrow.

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