“Fashion in my real life is more important to me than fashion in my acting life; it’s expressive, it’s creative, there’s so much to do with it,” says Dascha Polanco, on the phone from the set of her latest project. On-screen in Orange Is the New Black as Dayanara “Daya” Diaz, she sports the beige prison uniform worn by all of Litchfield Penitentiary’s inmates, but in her everyday life, Polanco is anything but drab. Constantly switching up her look for events or outfit-of-the-day posts, Polanco moves from glamorous to sporty in the blink of an eye, and takes her followers along for the ride. A fashion enthusiast with a social following in the millions and a fearless approach to dressing is generally the kind of combination that has brands salivating, but for Polanco it hasn’t been that easy.
It’s no secret that fashion labels often dress celebrities and loan them clothing to wear for events and premieres—for the really big stars, some fashion houses will reportedly even pay for the privilege. Even without a financial incentive, this relationship is mutually beneficial: It offers the brands exposure, and helps put the stars on the radar of magazines and the general public.
In Hollywood, how you dress isn’t just about looking good, it’s an investment; many starlets boast side careers based on endorsements and campaigns, and those who have cultivated reputations as trendsetters can leverage that into the creation of their own personal brands. For actresses beyond a sample size, the chance to gain such opportunities is rare, and it can be a struggle to simply get noticed, regardless of their accomplishments. With a hit TV show, a very active social following, and a part in an Oscar-nominated film (2015’s Joy) under her belt, Polanco should be on fashion’s radar—but not everyone has been receptive. “It’s funny that a lot of the brands are dressing people who are not offering anything as far as talent, they’re just out there,” says Polanco, and while many brands point at existing relationships with stylists or actresses, or the expense that goes into creating samples, rather than an underlying sense of “size-ism,” this is an idea that Polanco rejects. “I understand that it’s business, but still, it’s like, really? My industry friends, who are clear and honest with me say, “Girl, they don’t have your size, and you’re not at that level yet, so you have to either move that way or just build those relationships so that later in the future maybe it happens.”
“I want to break that barrier,” says Polanco. “Even though I’m a size 8 or 10, I still can look as great as someone who’s a size 0. This is why I work out; I’m making sure my body looks how I want it to look, so that I’m confident enough to wear a transparent cat suit, or show skin.” To onlookers, Polanco’s enviable confidence seems like second nature, but she admits it’s been a work in progress. “Every day, women have to boost themselves up. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I am fabulous, I am beautiful, I am me, and I am my own best competition,” says Polanco. “I always say to my followers and myself that the outfits are armor, because at times it almost hides what I feel. I look back at my old red carpet pictures where I wasn’t as confident, and it shows in the images. Now that I’ve gotten older, I realize that life is short—I’m building that confidence, and doing things as far as fashion that I’ve never done before.”
So what we must do next is to keep confident. Size 8 or even Size 26W can show fashion tastes in a perfect way. We, each one of us including chubby ladies, should know more how to avoid our disadvantage and stress our sexiness.
So why not share your ways to reshape your body with me?
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