Another year searching for body diversity at Australian Fashion Week

By Varsha Yajman

As a young woman who fell into the dark hole of an eating disorder during my teen years, I hope that more brands, designers, and casting agents will recognise the power they hold to shape beauty standards and champion body diversity, writes Varsha Yajman.

Culture Bite is a free weekly column that features Cheek-coded analysis and opinions at the intersection of pop culture and politics. To support more content like this, please consider becoming a paid subscriber!

---

I was 14 when I fell into the dark hole of my eating disorder. As a young brown woman who longed to feel in control and like I belonged, I spent years believing thinness was the only way I could get there.

From the shows I watched on my screen growing up, to the social media I consumed, I grew up thinking I was out of place -not just because of my skin colour, but also because of the size and proportions of my body. I wasn’t asking for much, just to be a body that fit in with the girls on my screen.

However, a part of me also feels lucky that this time in my life was in the 2010s. A time when body positivity anthems topped the charts, and when it felt like brands and designers were slowly moving toward embracing diversity, too.

Since then, we have seen the return of skinny as the aspirational ideal, exacerbated by the normalisation of the use of Ozempic for non-medical weight loss.

While only a few hundred may attend these shows, runways are critical in defining beauty standards, shaping beauty ideals, and fuelling the fashion content and commentary that dominates our algorithms.

The evidence backs this up. In a 2024 report, the Butterfly Foundation found social media made more than 60 per cent of Australians aged 12-18 feel dissatisfied with their body - a mammoth increase from 12 per cent in 2022.

Diversity (lacking) on the runway

The latest Vogue Size Inclusivity Report found that plus-size representation in the 2026 Fall/Winter season in the US fell to the same level as FW25, at just 0.9 per cent - the lowest level since Vogue Business began tracking size inclusivity in 2023.

Locally, the Australian version of the report found our size inclusivity dropped by 0.2 per cent from 2024 to 2025. In Australia, Vogue reported a drop in plus-size (AU 18+) representation from 1.1 per cent in 2024 to 0.8 per cent in 2025, but a rise in mid-size (AU 10-16) representation from 8.7 per cent to 11 per cent in 2025. Meanwhile, the average Australian woman wears a size AU 16, with only 9.1 per cent of Australian women considered a “straight-size” (AU 4-8).

In the 2025 Vogue report, designers Nicol and Ford noted how social pressure and trends were impacting their models.

“We also noticed that a number of our models who have walked consecutive shows for Nicol & Ford were at their slightest this year”, they said.

When diversity is dropping on our runways, it normalises rigid, unattainable beauty standards for the general public and influences consumer self-esteem.

How did Australian Fashion Week 2026 stack up?

Australian Fashion Week (AFW) kicked off on the 11th of May, adding a new burst of life to the Museum of Contemporary Art.

When I asked Stylist Nadhisha Perera (@nadhisha.perera) what she thought of body diversity at this year’s show, she said there had been little change since last year’s decline in body diversity. With “skinny” seemingly coming back into fashion”, she noticed just a “sprinkle” of larger models and a focus on showcasing mature models, neurodiverse models and models with disabilities.

Content creator and disability advocate Carmen Azzopardi (@zigs_mom) echoed a similar sentiment, telling Cheek, “all I can really say is that it seems prominent hip and collar bones are trending again.”

She said that of the five shows she has seen so far on Thursday, she’d seen “probably only seen less than 5 mid and/or plus size bodies cast.”

“There may have been representation in shows I didn’t attend, but for the most part, I’ve been fairly disappointed but not surprised in the lack of diverse casting and inclusivity within AFW this year.”

As someone who lives with a disability and wears visible medical tech, Azzopardi says that runways and media showing models wearing medical tech are validating and remind her that the industry does have space for her.

“It proves to me that the clothes are accessible and ultimately that’s an important but commonly overlooked function of fashion.”

Fashion and beauty creator Albina (@Eorvin), who lost the ability to walk two years ago, also spoke to the importance of brands accommodating the disabled community.

“When you’re sitting in a wheelchair, you need different styles and comfort”, Albina said.

She said she only “briefly” sees people with disabilities on runways, with most brands having a limited size range. Albina noted that she was able to reflect on how hard she was on herself when she did conform to size 8 and walk, and that she has now really accepted her beauty.

Bernad Ngendakumana (@bernad_ngendakumana) said that while the runways do not currently represent diversity in size, there is “room for improvement,” and that he wants to “celebrate how far we’ve come.”

Who has the power to make change?

Designer Gary Bigeni, said that diversity is possible when other designers and brands are not afraid “to go against the norm.”

Bigeni believes that “Every designer should be representing different bodies, different genders, different ages - in whatever way they like to interpret it.”

“I work hard to create visuals where people can recognise themselves, and feel happy about that,” he said. He added that incorporating diversity has always been how he operates, and the fashion industry inspires and influences people; it “should be leading by example.”

However, Bigeni does acknowledge that despite his own refusal to compromise to the pressures of the fashion industry, there is a “lack of recognition… for fashion [that] doesn’t fit the ‘norm’.”

“At this level, where I am fortunate to be playing in, at this stage of my career, it has been challenging to stay true to form when my values & vision don’t always reflect what popular culture deems something that the industry represents.”

For Bigeni, diversity is achieved through casting and a range of sizes.

Interestingly, Perera said that the lack of diversity in sizing this year was, according to some designers, the Australian Fashion Council’s (AFC) “employment of models that designers then have to choose from, rather than from the designers themselves.”

AFC was contacted for comment and did not respond.

When asked at an event about ensuring diversity on the runway, designer Bianca Spender noted the consumer’s role in shifting the market, saying that the more people speak up and pressure brands, the more priority they will need to give.

Spender said that she is “looking for individuality with each model” and has not done a show without size, ethnic, and age diversity.

What’s next?

Regardless of who is responsible for shifting the needle on diversity,there remains a stark lack of diversity on the runways, and it’s unlikely to change without collective action .

We know that diversity is achievable. Even though attendees observed a lack of body diversity on the runway, designers like Nicol and Ford are proving the importance and power of diversity. According to Azzorpadi, they are the “blueprint” for diverse and inclusive casting. Content Strategist & Editor Kriti Gupta (@kritieow) said that of the three shows she attended, only the Mariam Seddiq show featured body, size, age, and ethnic diversity. Seddiq also rated highly for Perrera, who named Iordanes Spyridin Gogos and Nicol & Ford as the other standouts on the diversity front.

As a young woman who experienced the absence of joy, nourishment, and her period during her teen years, I expect and hope that more brands, designers, and casting agents will recognise the power they hold to shape beauty standards and prioritise body diversity in the work they do.

We, as individuals, will continue to put pressure on brands and casting agents to prioritise diversity, but it’s important that we see our efforts reciprocated with inclusive size ranges and on the runway.

---

About the author

Varsha Yajman

Varsha Yajman is a lawyer, writer and advocate discussing the intersection across topics like climate justice, mental health and race.

More from Varsha: