Lizzo’s New Line of Size-Inclusive Shapewear isRedefining What Plus-Size Fashion Could Look Like

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Eighteen-time award winning musician, Lizzo, has started a new line of size-inclusive shapewear that’s designed to encourage plus-sized women of all shapes and sizes to unabashedly celebrate their bodies.

The line is named Yitty after Lizzo’s childhood nickname and became available for purchase on April 12, three years after Lizzo and her team began to draft designs, according to the company’s press release.

“I wish that designers of plus size clothing would realize that plus size ladies can still be sexy,” said Cate Murray, a plus-sized social media manager and UW-Milwaukee alumna.  “They can still have open backs and crop tops and deep v-necks. It is so hard to find things that I can wear out and feel hot.”

While Yitty may be the first line of shapewear intentionally celebrating a variety of sizes, other celebrity designers like Rihanna have been working toward breaking barriers in the fashion industry. Rhianna’s line Savage X Fenty also emphasizes size inclusivity. They offer their bras in more than 50 sizes. Yitty’s three different collections: Mesh Me, Nearly Naked and Major Label feature sizes ranging from XS to 6X with affordable price points that makes the items accessible to a range of buyers.

“Lizzo is definitely giving a platform to BIPOC folks, especially Black women,  to be out there and show that you can truly look good at any size,” said Maegan Rivera, an MPS teacher who’s frustrated by the lack of plus-sized options in stores. “I think with the release of Yitty, it might force other companies to change their methods and who they are mainly selling to.” 

There are some companies who are starting to listen to the demands of their plus-sized customers. In 2021, Old Navy announced that they were spending $32 billion to overhaul their plus-size fashion line, greatly expanding the size offerings.  

“I would argue that all brands need to work on being more inclusive with their sizing and styling,” said Murray. “Because the brands with ‘sexy’ clothes don’t go up to the sizes of plus size ladies, and the brands with plus sizes don’t usually have ‘sexy’ clothing. I feel like that is a problem.”

Lizzo in Yitty Shapewear
Photo source: Fabletics, Inc.

Murray, Rivera and other plus-size customers around the globe, are making their frustrations known to companies, and research is backing their claims. 

According to Coresight Research, the woman’s plus-size clothing market in the US was approximately $30.7 billion in 2019– and growing. If the 38% of American women who are classified as plus-size were to spend the same amount on clothing as the average American woman, the plus-size market would be valued at $46.4 billion.

“I just turned 30 and I don’t want to dress like I’m somebody’s grandma,” said Rivera. “Plus size people are not looking to stand out, we’re looking to have the same options as our peers who are more straight sized.”

With Lizzo at the helm of a new era of fashion, the singer-designer is continuing to show the world what plus-size women are capable of.

“There are so many stars who can’t dance around on a stage and belt out insane notes and play the flute and do all of it with incredible stamina and breath control, but Lizzo can,” said Murray. “I feel as though she’s normalizing the fact that plus-size women are still strong and beautiful and talented– and that is something that I really think is amazing.”