When I was young, I always imagined winning an Academy Award. I was downright convinced that I'd be a famous actress, and I'd get to wear a beautiful gown to the awards show. Obviously, that didn't happen, but the idea is still pretty cool.
I love watching all the celebrities walk down the red carpet in their amazing outfits, but there are some celebrities who have it harder than others. Many actresses have designers tripping over each other to loan them gowns for big events, however that's not always the case, especially for plus-size women.
These women know a thing or two about designers not wanted to dress them, and they chose to speak up about it.
1. Danielle Brooks
Brooks, who stars on the critically-acclaimed Orange Is The New Black Netflix series, has been outspoken about her struggles to find designers who will dress her for events.
"When I first started, I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be so inclusive with my style and it was really hard," Brooks told Vogue. "I haven't been given an opportunity to wear these big-name designers, it has never been an option whether I had a stylist or didn't. A lot of people won't design for me, no matter how many SAG awards, Tony nominations, Grammy wins; it doesn't matter."
Even though Brooks is comfortable in her own skin, it still messes with your head when you're constantly put down.
"It makes you feel like you're "˜less than' when you only have four options and three of them are in black or blue. It's really not fun," Brooks continued. "I am ready to fight that fight alongside Leslie [Jones], alongside Dasch[a Polanco], alongside Nicolette [Mason] and Gabby [Sidibe]; I am ready to say No, we are in the picture too."
2. Megan Mullally
Mullally has been in the industry for years, but for some reason people don't want to dress her. The Will & Grace star posted on Instagram about having to shop online for a dress to wear when hosting the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
"yes, i will be hosting!! thanks @sagawards! will i be dressed as a spanish senorita? we don't know. looks like i will be buying my dress online though, as per my usual, even though there is literally a 100 percent chance that i will be on camera, because I'M HOSTING IT. designers do not send me dresses. i'm online scrolling through the gowns sections of various websites- which i know how to do pretty well at this point- and then i tried to order something from saks fifth avenue and they cancelled my order 😂 oh, the glamor of it all."
3. Aidy Bryant
Bryant has been turning heads on Saturday Night Live, but the Emmy-nominated actress is having issues finding clothes for events that are still fun and exciting.
"I think it's a different experience for plus size women in film and television to get clothes for events," Bryant told People. It's just not as welcoming for us to get cool clothes that are like equal in glamour, in style to what, I am going to say, "˜small size' co-stars get to wear. I am young and I am cool and I want to wear cool clothes! I don't understand what the resistance is to it. To me it just feels like a no-brainer that you would want to dress as many people as you could."
4. Melissa McCarthy
Of course, McCarthy now has her own plus-size clothing line, and in 2011 she even wore one o her own designs to the Emmy awards after people refused to dress her. Despite her increasing stardom, McCarthy also struggled to find something to wear to the Ghostbusters premiere.
"I couldn't find anybody to do a dress for me. I asked five or six designers "” very high-level ones who make lots of dresses for people "” and they all said no," she told Redbook. "When you go above a size 12, you don't lose your love of fashion."
5. Rachel Bloom
Bloom stars in the hit show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, even winning a Golden Globe for her performance in 2016. But again, stardom doesn't mean people will want to dress you on the red carpet.
"It is hard to get places to lend to me because I am not a size zero, but also I can afford it, so it's okay," she said.
For the 2017 Emmy Awards, Bloom bought her own $3,500 Gucci dress after no designer would style her. When asked who she was wearing on the red carpet, Bloom made it clear that she only had herself to thank.
"I bought this dress because Gucci is not lending me a dress," she told E! Live Red Carpet.
6. Leslie Jones
When trying to find something to wear to the Ghostbusters premiere, Jones, like her co-star McCarthy, had to work really hard to find someone to dress her.
"It's so funny how there are no designers wanting to help me with a premiere dress for movie," Jones wrote on Twitter. "Hmmm that will change and I remember everything."
Immediately, designer Christian Siriano offered to style Jones for the premiere, while new outlets began picking up the story. Jones was then flooded with other offers, but she could see right through all of them.
"Hmm what a difference a tweet makes. Should I name the designers that didn't look out? Put y'all ass on blast. You will not get my love later," Leslie tweeted.
It was Siriano who made Jones' stunning dress, but he tweeted that it wasn't something people should be praising him for.
"It shouldn't be exceptional to work with brilliant people just because they're not sample size," Siriano tweeted. "Congrats aren't in order, a change is."
7. Bebe Rexha
Just recently, singer Bebe Rexha posted a video on Twitter, explaining that her Grammy nomination wasn't enough to convince a designer to dress her, simply because she's not "sample size."
"I'm sorry, I had to get this off my chest. If you don't like my fashion style or my music that's one thing. But don't say you can't dress someone that isn't a runway size. We are beautiful any size! Small or large! Anddddd My size 8 ass is still going to the Grammys[...] I had my team hit out a lot of designers and a lot of them do not want to dress me because I'm too big."
8. Christina Hendricks
The Mad Men star is constantly revered for her curves by fans and critics alike, but when it comes to fashion designers, they don't really care at all. Hendricks spoke about this before the 2010 awards season, saying that while the show she was on celebrated her curves, she's struggling to find something to wear.
"People have been saying some nice, wonderful things about me. Yet not one designer in town will loan me a dress," the actress said, per Racked. "They only lend out a size zero or two. So I'm still struggling for someone to give me a darn dress. This has always been my size."
9. Destiny's Child
It's hard to imagine someone saying no to Beyoncé, but according to the superstar, that's just what happened to her and her singing partners when they were just starting out in the industry.
"When we were starting out in Destiny's Child, high-end labels, they didn't want to dress four black, country, curvy girls," Beyoncé said in a speech. "And we couldn't afford designer dresses and couture. My mother was rejected from every showroom in New York. But like my grandmother, she used her talent and her creativity to give her children their dreams."
10. Octavia Spencer
Her work in The Help is something spectacular, but even that couldn't make dress shopping any easier for Spencer. The stress of finding an outfit is not easy!
"I'm just a short, chubby girl," she said before the 2012 Golden Globes. "It's hard for me to find a dress to wear to something like this! It's a lot of pressure, I'll tell ya. No designers are coming to me."
Spencer has also spoken about the lack of variety in the plus-size world.
"It's very difficult to make a woman of different sizes look as chic, as sexy, without making them wear a tent," she said. "I'm not going to wear a muumuu!"
11. Ashley Graham
You would think that companies would be jumping at the chance to dress an international supermodel, especially one who wants to go to the iconic Met Gala. However, when no one would dress Graham, she had to decline the event all together.
"I couldn't get a designer to dress me," she said. "You can't just show up in jeans and a T-shirt."
12. Amber Riley
Glee fame can only take you so far, just ask Riley, who still struggles to find clothes to wear to red carpet events. She responded to a Twitter thread about the struggles that plus-size celebrities have when it comes to fashion, because not only are people not offering dresses, the dresses available are all the same.
"Risking seeing other plus celebs wearing the same [sh*t] on the carpet *throws up hands* we can't win," she said.
13. Jennifer Hudson
Hudson has struggled publicly with her weight, and even became a Weight Watchers spokesperson. Even though she's no longer considered plus size, the Dream Girls star still remembers what it was like before she lost the weight.
"So many more opportunities open up when you're on the other side, as I am now. I'd no idea what I was missing out on. It's like a whole other world. Suddenly every designer wants to dress you. It's like, "You look amazing! Please, choose a dress. Have a bag. And what about shoes?" I mean, wow!' she told the Daily Mail.
14. Bryce Dallas Howard
Just like Rachel Bloom, Howard has started to buy her own dresses for red carpet events because designers aren't jumping at the chance to dress the Jurassic World actress.
"When you're not "˜sample' size, or when you don't have a direct relationship with a designer, or if you don't have a lot of notice, those types of size 6 dresses just aren't that available that much," she said.
15. Gabourey Sidibe
Sidibe broke through the scene in 2009, when her performance in Precious earned her a Golden Globe nominated. The confident actress has always been willing to talk about anything, which includes the struggle to find dresses for the red carpet. She's admitted in the past that no one will giver her dresses to wear, but she's choosing to look at it as a positive thing.
"I don't really care because it gives me more freedom," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I don't just flip through a magazine and say, "˜I want this,' because I can't, really."
16. Khloé Kardashian
Yes, even the Kardashians have these issues. Khloé has always struggled with her weight, and she's been very open about it. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, new mom explained that after losing 40lbs, the fashion industry is more willing to take a chance on her.
"I definitely think the fashion industry, and people in general, look at me more now that I've lost weight," she admits. "Even on shoots, I would never have options for clothing. There would always be this attention on Kourtney and Kim, but I was too much work for (stylists) or they had nothing in my size. I wasn't even that crazy big!"
Kardashian also points out that the only stylist she'll ever work with is Monica Rose, because even before she lost weight, Rose would treat the reality star like everyone else.
"At my fattest, Monica would always come with racks of clothes and make me feel special. She never told me, 'Oh, they don't have that in your size,'" said Kardashian. "Other people actually said, 'I just can't work with you'"”because I was too big. That always hurt my feelings, of course.
And of course, the designers who used to say no to Kardashian are now begging her to wear their clothing, but she's got an easy answer for them.
"I'm just like, 'F*** you. I'm not going to reward your bad behavior,'" she said.
