New York Fashion Week is here. And it’s putting the state of diversity and size inclusivity within the fashion industry in the spotlight. While the body positivity movement has grown in the past decade, the number of midsize or plus size models cast for last season’s fashion shows dropped by nearly a quarter. That’s sparked further concern that the industry may be backsliding. Not to mention the recent rise of Ozempic and #heroinchic on social media. To learn more, we spoke with former magazine editors Ruthie Friedlander and Christina Grasso, who co-founded The Chain, a non-profit that offers support for individuals in the fashion industry who are struggling with or recovering from an eating disorder.

Q: After years of criticism for promoting extreme thinness, the fashion industry vowed to increase body diversity. How has it measured up?

Friedlander: We can point to some amazing strides that people in the industry have made — whether it’s with casting, size inclusion, or general awareness of mental health issues. But I think the real question is: What lasting changes has the industry at large made? Very few. It’s still extremely expensive for brands to [make things in every size]. It’s still not normal for brands to have inclusive sizing. Until those types of changes are made, everything else is going to be a surface-level decision. That’s best seen by the fact that [the fashion industry] had [a few years] of this body positivity movement, and then last year, it was back to the so-called heroin chic look ... It’s quite frightening to see how the trends from last season are so drastically in contrast to the body positivity movement, which we now fear was just another trend.

Q: What more could the fashion industry be doing?

Friedlander: One of the editors I worked with [used to say], “The fish rots from the head down.” What that means is: It starts at the top. You need to have people in corporate who care about the effect that things like casting, size range, and photos [have on others] … And it’s about being willing to make a change, which can be as simple as tweaking your Instagram captions because you’re using a word that’s triggering. Or, making a real investment because you’re only creating up to a size eight and that’s not a realistic way to grow a business.

Q: New York Fashion Week is in full swing. What are your thoughts on the event and its influence?

Friedlander: I personally don’t do New York Fashion Week anymore. I find the entire experience extremely triggering … Until people start having real hard conversations ... I don’t have an interest in participating in it ... There is a huge amount of work to be done on the part of the editors and the people at the top in magazines, PR, and influencer marketing in terms of how they’re speaking to people. 

Q: Are there any brands or designers that you think are doing it right?

Grasso: The first one that came to mind is Harris Reed, who has a namesake brand and is also the creative director for Nina Ricci ... Peter Do does a pretty good job. And Christian Siriano is another one.