Earlier this week, Leslie Jones sent out a series of tweets saying that several major designers have refused to dress her for the upcoming Ghostbusters premiere. “It’s so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress for movie. Hmmm that will change and I remember everything,” she tweeted.
After Leslie’s tweets, Pret-A-Reporter interviewed celebrity stylists who said things like this:
“This is nobody’s fault except Leslie’s. She should have known four to five months ago the date of premiere, and said, ‘I’m not a sample size, I need to go to designers early or buy myself a dress.’ Don’t be blaming designers and saying they don’t like you.”
Pret-A-Reporter writes that Leslie is a size 8-10 — which, let me remind you, is still far smaller than plus size, and still far smaller than the size of the average American woman. And no matter what her size, Leslie is amazing, talented, super-famous, and about to become even more famous — any designer should be honored to dress her.
Leslie Jones isn’t the only celebrity deemed “too big” for designers to dress. Here are 11 celebrities who’ve spoken out about designers refusing to dress them because of their size:
1. Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones and Christian Siriano, via Twitter
As stated above, several designers refused to dress Leslie for the Ghostbusters premiere. Luckily, Leslie found something great to wear on the red carpet: Designer Christian Siriano tweeted her a few hand wave emojis, and now the pair have been live-tweeting fittings. “Hmm what a difference a tweet makes. Should I name the designers that didn’t look out? Put y’all ass on blast. You will not get my love later,” Leslie tweeted.
2. Melissa McCarthy
Photo: Facebook/Melissa McCarthy
Our April/May 2016 cover gal started her own clothing line, Seven7, partially because so few designers would dress her — even for THE FREAKING OSCARS. “Two Oscars ago, I couldn’t find anybody to do a dress for me. I asked five or six designers — very high-level ones who make lots of dresses for people — and they all said no,” she told Redbook in 2014.
3. Christina Hendricks
Christina Hendricks in Mad Men
In 2010, the Mad Men star told a Scottish newspaper that she’d had difficulty finding a dress to wear to the Emmys. “Not one designer will loan me a dress,” she said. “They only lend out a size zero or a size 2. So I’m still struggling for someone to give me a darn dress!”
4. Bryce Dallas Howard
Facebook/Bryce Dallas Howard
At the Golden Globes last year, the Jurassic World star revealed that she bought her dress off-the-rack because designers didn’t have samples to lend her in her size — size 6. “I like having lots of options for a size 6, as opposed to maybe one option, so I always go to department stores for this kind of stuff,” she said. “I mean it’s just, you know, how it is?”
5. Gabourey Sidibe
Twitter/Gabourey Sidibe
In a 2010 interview, Gabourey said that she’s happy with her body even though she can’t wear off-the-runway looks. “I don’t really care because it gives me more freedom. I don’t just flip through a magazine and say, ‘I want this,’ because I can’t, really,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
6. Dascha Polanco
Facebook/Dascha Polanco
Last year, the Orange Is The New Black star said that many designers won’t work with her because of her size — a size 8. “There’s a lot of brands that don’t want to dress me because I’m not sample size … but it just goes to show I have a decision as well — I don’t have to dress with your clothing. It’s not me waiting for you to dress me now … I choose who I want to be dressed by,” she said.
7. Jennifer Hudson
Facebook/Jennifer Hudson
In 2011, Jennifer Hudson said that many designers suddenly wanted to work with her after she lost weight. “So many more opportunities open up when you’re on the other side, as I am now. I’d no idea what I was missing out on. It’s like a whole other world. Suddenly every designer wants to dress you. It’s like, “You look amazing! Please, choose a dress. Have a bag. And what about shoes?” I mean, wow!’ she told the Daily Mail.
8. Barbie Ferreira
Plus size model Barbie Ferreira tweeted about her own experiences after Leslie Jones shared hers. “Every day I’m reminded of my body. Even if I’m excited about an event finding someone who even wants to help me by styling is impossible,” she tweeted. “Curvy women are not allowed to be edgy not allowed to be stylish or allowed to explore their looks like everyone else in this industry. So don’t expect much from my designer Looks in the future until people wake tf up. And hearing an actress in a huge film having similar struggles .. Girl I feel hopeless. Am I gonna have to wear Sears when I win my Oscar?“
9. Amber Riley
Facebook/Amber Riley
Last year, the Glee star tweeted that she worries about wearing the same dress on the red carpet as other plus size celebs because there are so few options out there: “Risking seeing other plus celebs wearing the same [poop emoji] on the carpet *throws up hands* we can’t win [laughing/crying emoji].”
10. Danielle Brooks
In the same Twitter exchange — sparked by tweets by blogger GabiFresh about the lack of availability of plus size clothing in stores — Danielle revealed that she’s had to rewear dresses on the red carpet because designers won’t dress her. “We be out here revamping those little black dresses with diff designer shoes and accessories,” she tweeted.
11. Ashley Graham
Facebook/Ashley Graham
Earlier this year, supermodel Ashley Graham opened up about how hard it was for her to find a dress to wear when hosting E!’s Live From The Red Carpet during the Oscars. “Trying to find a dress for the Oscars, a girl my size, [with] these girls this size — I mean, it has been a whole job in itself,” she said.
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