Owner Of Bridal Boutique Calls Out People Who Laugh And Make Fun Of The Store’s Plus-Size Mannequin
Wedding dresses are usually modeled on mannequins with one specific body type—thin women. This body-positive, inclusive bridal boutique recently received its first-ever plus-size mannequin, but not everybody was a fan of it.
According to the boutique's Instagram post, people laugh at the mannequin from outside of the store and make fun of the way it looks. And in reality, these people are not just poking fun, they are body-shaming. So the store decided to do something about it.
Somerset Bridal
Somerset Bridal is a luxury bridal boutique where women can buy beautifully designed wedding dresses.
The U.K.-based store prides itself on selling dresses of all sizes for all body types.
Meet Fuchsia—The Store's Plus-Size Mannequin
On June 4, the workers at the bridal boutique targeted rude customers through a sign in their front window. The sign reads: "Are you laughing or are you fat-shaming? Fuchsia has feelings too and we think she is STUNNING. Please send her lots of love not laughs."
Debbie Shelley, who owns Somerset Bridal in Minehead in the U.K, expressed her feelings on the topic via Instagram.
Most Dresses Are Modeled After A Specific Body Type
She explains in the post: "We are proud providers of wedding gowns that suit every shape and size a woman can come in and no two women are the same size. Brides that are bigger can often be marginalized and not catered for."
"When I bought my own dress over five years ago I soon realized that buying a dress when you're bigger is near on impossible and the experience ended with buying a dress that I didn't love and certainly didn’t fit properly."
Brides Shouldn't Lack Choices For Dresses
"I've made it my life’s work to ensure no other bride lacks choice or support when buying their gown."
She explains that the boutique has "the gorgeous dresses, we just did not have the mannequins." After years of searching, Fuchsia arrived in the boutique and everyone who works in the store loves her.
Management Were Sad That They Had To Install The Sign
"BUT Minehead, and visitors to Minehead, have not responded as you'd expect them to when seeing Fuchsia residing in the window. She is heckled, laughed at, jeered at. Fuchsia is being fat-shamed during a time when society should know better."
"We have had to install a sign in the window next to Fuchsia asking people to think before being rude. Fat-shaming is a thing of the past, or so you might think...I’m really sad that people are being so unkind."
"Beauty Comes In All Shapes And Sizes"
Near the end of the post, she explains that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and she runs an inclusive boutique. She also claims that all women are welcome, and the response to the mannequin is making brides feel uneasy.
She explains that people are having trouble finding their dream dress with hecklers outside being rude to Fuchsia. She ends the post on a hopeful note, expressing her wish that passersby might read the post and think better before being unkind in the future! You can read the post for yourself above if you are interested!
People Pointed Out How Horrible The Situation Was
The people who laugh or make fun of the mannequin are body-shaming women who have a similar body type as Fuchsia.
Commenters were quick to point out that it's sad and insecure to take time out of your day to make fun of someone's body.
The Post Received Lots Of Love
Overall, there were a lot of comments supporting the shop's decision to bring attention to the situation and taking a stand.
Lots of women applauded the shop for everything that they do to be more inclusive by catering to all body types.
Somerset Prides Itself On Inclusivity
On their Instagram, the inclusive bridal boutique often features images of plus-size women modeling their dresses.
They often receive dresses in two very different sizes, usually around sizes 10 and 30. This means that the boutique can cater to basically any size.
An Update About Fuchsia
The boutique recently shared an update regarding Fuchsia and explained that people now stop to get their photo taken with the mannequin.
And even though there will always be body shamers who make fun of her, there is clearly a large amount of love out there for Fuchsia!
Bride-To-Be Spends Nine Months Knitting Her Own Wedding Dress During Her Daily Commutes To Work
Esther Andrews handcrafts "slowly made knitwear for the modern bride," and on TikTok she's known as @estherandrewsbridal. She recently shared her experience with designing and knitting her own wedding gown in a TikTok video that’s been viewed 650,000 times and has garnered 152,000 likes and nearly 1,300 comments.
“I hand knit my wedding dress on the NYC subway for nine months and this was the journey.”
An Unconventional Bride
When you think of a bride, you probably think of an extravagant white strapless ballgown, an elegant veil, and maybe even a decorative headpiece. But bride-to-be Esther had something a little different in mind.
"The inspiration was a space pirate meets a tomato patch—because it was just silly and fun."
The Design And Fabric
The dress was made with a total of four miles of mohair lace yarn and adorned with tiny tomato decals.
"When it came time to sew together, I was scared because I could only trust it would fit and had no time to go back," she says.
Knitting During Her Commute
She explains that she worked on the dress by knitting during her daily commutes on the New York City subway over the course of nine months.
"I finished it literally the day before the wedding," she says.
Wedding Day
In a small, intimate wedding surrounded by loved ones, illuminated by colorful lights, and rocking their unique outfits, Esther and her "best friend" finally said their “I do's.”
Congratulations to the happy couple!
The Completed Dress
In the video, Esther shows off a collection of photos of the dress during its design and construction. She shared these photos of her wearing the finished gown on her wedding day.
Considering it took nine months and she knit it by hand, it's no surprise she wants to show it off. You go, girl!
Wife Goals
Esther explains that not only did she make her own wedding gown, but she also sewed her husband's astronaut outfit too!
For his wedding outfit, she was inspired by the spacesuits worn by NASA’s Gemini astronauts. Her husband’s outfit was a race to the finish, and she says she only finished sewing it minutes before the wedding began.
Happily Ever After
Despite the sheer amount of time and effort that went into making her dress, Esther says the journey was a labor of love.
"I will always cherish this dress and the time that went into making it," she says.
"Tomato Girl And Space Man"
While some TikTok users were hilariously confused by the theme, they adored Esther's love story and the journey toward making her out-of-this-world wedding dress.
While an unconventional wedding, the love between Esther and her new husband is abundant.
Chiming In
Even Esther's new husband chimed in and commented on her video writing, "Just so you know I’m the HUSBAND!! And if you’re thinking I’m lucky, YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THE HALF OF IT."
Forget Hallmark Channel romcoms, this is the kind of love story I want to see more of.
Attention All Brides
So brides, what do you think of Esther's handmade wedding gown, and what was your wedding dress shopping experience like? Did you go all out with no budget and buy your dress in a traditional bridal shop, did you perhaps buy a used wedding dress instead, or did you ditch the wedding dress idea entirely and wear a different kind of bridal outfit?
Let us know in the comments!
