What’s Changing—and What Isn’t—About Fashion’s Relationship to the Body?

[murmuring]

[Director] One more time without moving forward so much.

You can look over to me here

and in this camera

[Woman] We ve been sort of lied

that we re supposed to all look

and exist the same way.

I felt like I had to prove myself as a woman

and fit into a certain narrative of what that means.

[drum beat]

People commenting to me in person about my shape,

my size.

[indistinct]

And then I was like, enough.

Now, it just sounds so stupid every time I say it.

[soft music]

Something that really impresses me

about my body is

it has its own instinct.

I really like my skin.

It has warmth and softness

and coarse bits and dimple bits

and I feel like it represents me.

How s that?

That s better.

What I started to see women like Salma Hayek

and like Jennifer Lopez, my eyes just like opened up

cause I was like, okay, they like

look way more like me than anything I ve ever seen.

After having her, I got stretch marks,

my boobs was twice as big,

but seeing how my baby just love upon me,

rubbing my side fat,

made me just appreciate my body even more.

You know, my body has been part of my journey

from the very beginning of life until now

and it s what takes us through.

Okay, okay.

I don t really feel like I m an age necessarily.

I don t know, I feel ageless.

There are a lot of caricatures

of what it means to be a man or a woman

imposed on trans people.

But the body that I was born into is my body.

And the way that I move through the world is myself.

[upbeat music]

There was strength that I didn t even know that I had.

This is sexy to me.

This is womanly.

This is strong to me, this all, that s kindda pretty insane.

What the body will feel.

Feel strong seeing my muscle.

When you see yourself as beautiful--

[Woman] Beautiful.

It s a way of stepping into your own power.

[upbeat music]

[Woman] It s my body. My body.

It s sacred to me, you know, and it s my all.

[upbeat music]