Gendered body positivity in the fashion industry

An expanding body positivity movement is commonly embraced by leading underwear brands to promote a more inclusive view of beauty and normalize different body types that are marginalized by societal standards. Calvin Klein is one of the brands that claim to promote inclusivity and body positivity through their unisex clothing line and inclusive sizes. However, despite the fact that men and the third gender make up a significant part of the plus-size market, the majority of studies on plus-size fashion and body positivity focus solely on women. Therefore, this research addresses this gap and explores how different genders are represented in Calvin Klein's Instagram posts in terms of body positivity. To gain an in-depth understanding of this phenomenon, a qualitative content analysis was conducted. 150 posts consisting of images and captions were examined in terms of inclusivity and body positivity. The results revealed that Calvin Klein promotes inclusivity and body positivity among men, women, and the third gender by featuring models of different ages, skin colours, body sizes, with imperfections or by sharing body-positive messages in the captions of the posts. The brand appears to be truly inclusive and body-positive in relation to the third gender, not only by showcasing diverse bodies but also by running supportive campaigns and establishing key partnerships. However, the research proves that among all genders there are still more posts depicting idealization than imperfections. Although there are some examples of plus-size women, the majority of female bodies are portrayed as flawless and sexualized. Furthermore, noticed underrepresentation of plus-size men leads to the conclusion that Calvin Klein still reinforces gender stereotypes by portraying the majority of men as fit and muscular. Overall, according to the findings presented in the study, although Calvin Klein is making an attempt to create body-positive content featuring women and the third gender, there is still room for improvement in that area regarding men. This study contributes to previous research on body positivity and suggests areas that could be explored in the future. It also provides valuable insights that can benefit other underwear and fashion brands that want to incorporate bodypositive and inclusive content into their social media platforms.