What is "BBL Fashion"? Are clothes really being designed for BBL bodies? What is "BBL Fashion"?
You may have seen the phrase “BBL fashion” on Twitter and TikTok like I have. It may be self-explanatory, but in case you aren’t familiar let me break it down. I will also give my opinion on whether or not brands are designing for the body shape resulting from a Brazilian butt lift.
What is BBL fashion?
A BBL is a Brazilian Butt Lift is a procedure where fat is transferred from other parts of the body via liposuction to the butt and hips area. For more information click here.
Fashion is a prevailing style of dress during a particular time. Style is a facet of it and here
BBL can be segmented into two parts:
1) Dressing to show off the body. This is where the bodycon, cutouts, and mesh comes in. If you went through the whole process of getting a BBL and spending your or someone else’s money, of course you want to show it off!
2) Dressing to maintain the body shape. For example, wearing visible (or concealed) waist trainers and fajas. Also, if money was spent, you want to preserve your investment.
The BBL body shape is that of an exaggerated hourglass. Yes, some people are both with it or achieve it with diet and exercise, but a lot of people are getting surgeries performed to achieve this look. A lot of BBLs are done that have more a “natural” appearance in that it looks achievable, one that I learned about from researching is the S-Curve by Dr. Ghavami. The BBLs people mostly refer to are the ones that don’t look as natural and for a lot of people, that is the point. That’s another topic I can dive into later if I feel called to discuss.
Where does the style stem from?
BBL fashion is derived from apparel derived from sex workers in my opinion. Not in a condescending way, but in factual fashion way. The bright colors, cutouts, lace-up, and spandex attire are all more functional versions of that type of apparel. I italicized functional because the clothes sex workers wear serve the function of their job, but the clothes transformed for every day people are meant for clubbing and that sort of activity. Since I mentioned clubbing, you could probably argue that clubwear stems from sex worker fashion as well and perhaps even rave wear.
The clothes are mainly knitwear. Knit fabrics are cheaper to source and cheaper to produce. That is when it comes to not the best quality of knitted fabrics. The size range is a lot more forgiving than it would be for a woven garment. Knitted fabric are common in athletic apparel, swimwear, and lingerie.
What brands are designing for this?
You can tell which brands are designing for this shape based on the models they use. Pretty much all fashion brands use a fit model in some way, shape, or form. a fit model is someone the designer uses to assess the wear, fit, and overall design of the garment. Instead of using a dress form, they use a model to see how the clothes move and how the wearer feels in it. Fit models are not typically runway models, but they can be as seen with Naomi Campbell and Alaia. The particular model that comes to mind is the one photographed below, Jodie. I have seen her plastered across social media for years at this point so she is definitely true to this and not new to this. She is one of the originals that probably comes to people’s minds when it comes to this style because she was essentially made the face of it. Please note I am not claiming she has had any type of surgery because I am not an expert nor do I know these people.
Fashion Nova and Pretty Little Thing are two brands that I personally do not shop with, but they are the brands that come to mind when it comes to this fashion. What they put out into the world is very cheap in terms of price and quality. The clothes aren’t meant to worn more than a handful of months. These brands make clothes for people that don’t want to be seen rewearing clothes for the most part. When it comes to their design styles they hit every attribute mentioned previously such as the tight fit, cutouts, and sheer materials.
Where can I shop if I don’t look like that?
Body dysmorphia is a real thing and I’m not saying that anyone reading this has it, but I will say it can be hard shopping for clothes when the models and influencers don’t look like you at all. Fashion has and still favors thinness. While the BBL look is curvier, the bodies at the forefront are still considered thin.
If you don’t have that body shape, you can still shop from these sites, however, you may not want to for various reasons. I suggest shopping from places that do a great job of showing off a variety of heights, weights, and body types like ASOS and American Eagle. I will do more research and add more later and probably do a separate post. I don’t do as much shopping anymore since I am focusing on my own designs, but please comment your recommendations and suggestions below.
Clothes can be expensive and they should be. Support designers, brands, and labels that create garments within your preferences. You will learn and grow to love what you wear, be more comfortable, and excited to wear your clothes.
In short, are brands designing for this body type? Yes, but mainly the fast fashion ones. I believe elitism when it comes to body types and surgical vs. non-surgical will be become more prevalent and I will be discussing that as well.
Below is my video I created on my YouTube regarding this very same topic. Feel free to watch and subscribe.