The two friends started working together in 2019 when Maria was Denise’s photographer. After teaming up for several photoshoots, Denise said she suggested taking a photo together wearing the same bikini — she wanted to showcase the same swimsuit on different body types and promote body positivity.
Once posted on social media, it did so well, the duo was over the moon to receive so much positive feedback. It inspired them to create and post even more videos, and their fan count quickly started growing. As of today, Denise has a whopping 1.5M followers on Instagram alone, while Maria amassed more than 492K.
"Once TikTok had become popular, we decided to do a fun video and that’s when it went viral," Denise told Bored Panda in a previous interview. Then they realized they needed to decide on a hashtag and start an actual body-positivity movement. Their Instagram followers voted between #ThroughThickAndThin and #StyleNotSize, and, as you already know, the latter won.
Earlier on, Maria said that at first, they wore a similar style but not the exact same pieces. "I think we really wanted to push the boundaries and go for it! We dressed from head to toe to really showcase one same look on different bodies."
"We loved the public’s response and so I believe now we treat it as a job! A job to educate and open people’s eyes to the endless possibilities in fashion. And so we post more frequently and we cater to every style, so that there’s content to be enjoyed by everyone," she added.
Denise explained that the key message of their videos is "to dress however you please and to love your body." According to her, it’s time "to stop comparing yourself to others" and start building a positive self-image from within. "The fact that we can inspire so many women to feel confident and be themselves makes us want to continue this movement," she added.
Maria also mentioned that they have been busy "working on challenging today’s industry standards! We really want the industry to hear and understand that they must be inclusive. Plus size, petite, tall, standard sizes should be available to the public because we all have bodies and they are all equally important and they should be treated as such."
Well, the style influencers' efforts seem like it's paying off because they feel the body-positive movement is becoming more and more accepted by both modern society and the fashion business. "Lately, it’s been so easy for me to find clothes that fit both Maria and I great," Denise said. "Even sustainable clothing, which is amazing! The industry is progressing and even though there are still some improvements to be made, we are heading in the right direction!"
It looks like the pair is making sure that the fashion world will become even more inclusive by taking up a variety of projects. Recently, they partnered up with Abercrombie & Fitch to co-create a collection for fall. "It’s mind-blowing how much more of you you can show when brands aren’t the ones judging and how much society changes when they aren’t being told by the industry what is beauty," Maria told Teen Vogue.
"It’s much more inviting." Denise agreed. "I would’ve never thought that a pair of Abercrombie jeans could look so good on me. Abercrombie has come a long way with today’s fashion."
This partnership helped to catch the eye of Macy’s and led to a loungewear collection. Believing it is really about your style, not your size, Maria told WWD: "We really want the fashion world to be size-inclusive." Plus, the design of the clothes is meant to be equally comfortable and flattering.
They made sure that materials, fabrics, and designs are up-to-date because "the fashion industry tends to do everything very basic for a lot of sizes." Maria added that "every single woman out there is human and we all have different shapes and different sizes. We work really hard to find the perfect pieces to showcase for Style Not Size."
