What inspired you to make Cutting the Curve, and shine a light on size-inclusive fashion and the fight for curve and plus-size women to be seen in the industry?
As someone who exists in a bigger body, it's something I've been aware of for a long time and as a fashion journalist I've written about size-inclusive fashion at length before. I really wanted to explore what has been going on recently with the rise of Ozempic and a regression in size inclusivity in a lot more depth through documentary as I wanted to explain why it matters in a way that would hopefully resonate with people. While it's something there has been a lot of articles about, I hadn't seen anyone explore the specifics of where things are at now in a documentary. I approached filmmaker Julia Parnell and together we developed the series over a couple of years. She understood why it was a subject that needed to be explored in this way and model Isabella Moore was the perfect person to centre the story around as she is living the themes of the series.
Fashion still struggles with balancing inclusivity and traditional beauty norms. What was important to you in capturing those stories authentically?
It was important that we interviewed people who have lived experience of the issues we're talking about, including the people that had been a part of the fashion industry for years, as well as the newcomers, to give different perspectives. We wanted honest conversations and people that weren't afraid to share the truth of what the industry is like right now and the effect that it has on those who make a living in modelling. Each person we interviewed brought a lot to the table and it was really hard to cut the series down to just under an hour as there were so many beautiful, raw and funny stories told. I have a lot of respect for everyone we interviewed as it's not easy to allow yourself to be open and vulnerable on camera but I feel like their authenticity shines through on screen.
Fashion journalists and filmmakers can shape conversations about body positivity and fashion diversity - how do you see your role in this?
It's such a privilege and a responsibility to have people trust you with their stories. It's something I don't take for granted as that trust is a big part of what allows me to do my job in a meaningful and authentic way, which is to get stories across to an audience in a relatable and interesting way. We have the power to make change so we need to choose what we represent in words or onscreen wisely as we shape how people see information so what we highlight and how we portray things matters. When it comes to size inclusivity we need more voices to speak up so with this series we are amplifying the voices that need to be heard.
After producing the series, what do you hope viewers take away about representation, size diversity, and inclusive fashion?
I'd love viewers to take away a sense of body acceptance and the message that it's okay to exist in your body as you are. We've all absorbed decades of marketing designed to make us feel bad about ourselves so we buy products to 'fix the problem' but we do not need to be fixed so to speak. The desire to be thinner is so deeply ingrained because of marketing and fatphobia but it really doesn't need to be that way. I'm hoping that this series helps create understanding as to what it is like to exist in a bigger body and how important it is that everyone is represented in the imagery we see around us every day.
Finally, what are some of your favourite size-inclusive fashion labels?
I love that Oya exists, as it's quite difficult to find larger sized women's shoes that are beautiful and fashionable. As far as clothing goes, I love Lost and Led Astray and RUBY, who make clothing that is so thoughtfully designed, both labels feature in the series. I also wear twenty-seven names, Friday Flamingo, Trelise Cooper and Videris. After seeing great inclusive collections from Kaistor Street and Katherine Anne on the runway at the Kāhui Collective show at NZFW, I'm keen to wear some of their pieces too.