It’s no secret that the fashion industry still largely struggles with inclusivity toward bodies. Today, it’s up to the models, influencers and photographers to spark change and rewrite the rules. Many of them are tirelessly doing exactly that.
Two best friends and social media creators named Denise Mercedes and Maria Castellanos went viral for their “Style Not Size” project which promotes body positivity a couple of years ago. Today, they continue to spread their message, saying that nobody should be confined to what society tells us is the correct thing to wear for specific sizes.
So they’re taking this approach to daily life and the streets of New York, where the duo is putting the same outfit on their different body types. The result is both empowering and normalizing, urging society to get rid of the outdated notion of the “wrong” clothes for the “wrong” bodies.
Scroll down for the most recent Style Not Size looks, upvote your favorite ones and be sure to check out more of the duo’s fashion inspiration in our previous posts here, here, and here.
Denise: DeniseMercedes.com | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Maria: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
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This style fits them both so well 🥵 I have officially been slayed
They both have besutiful bodies and this dress ks only showing their silhouette in black. I'd like to see the same in a beautiful body with a big belly, no big teetsand no big hips, for example.
Load More Replies...It does, I don't know why you are getting downwoted
Load More Replies...This just shows if you buy your true size you will look smashing in any outfit.
They both look beautiful but the girl on the right looks better with her curves
Aw why the downvotes? :( I’m sorry if I said something wrong!
Load More Replies...This dress looks best on the thicker woman gotta love those curves
Looks better on girl on left only because the top of the dress is too baggy on the thinner girl.
The viral “Style not Size” project was launched three years ago when Maria came up with an idea to pose for photos wearing the same bikini. “It blew up on social media and people reacted so positively to it that we continued doing it here and there,” Denise told Bored Panda in an earlier interview.
The very first video that the now famous duo shared on TikTok amassed more than 1.5 million views and three years later, they're nowhere near stopping. “Once TikTok had become popular, we decided to do a fun video and that’s when it went viral,” Denise said.
Maria and Denise, at first, wore a similar style outfit 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,” Maria told Bored Panda.
The friends loved the public’s response, and not much later, they were already treating their hobby as a job. For them, it’s a job to educate and open people’s eyes to the endless possibilities in fashion. These days, Maria and Denise not only post more content more often, they also cater to every style so that there’s content to be enjoyed by everyone.
No wonder that the Style Not Size project has managed to remain as relevant as it was in the beginning despite the fact that much of the viral content loses its relevance with time.
Curvy lady absolutely steals the show with this dress 😍 although this dress is making the slender lady look quite curvy too! Both of them nailed it 👏 I have 0 curves so maybe I’ll buy this dress!
They are both incredibly gorgeous! I love the forest green colour of the dress.
The way the dress "gathers" everywhere makes the slimmer woman seem curvier and accentuates the curvier girl's curves.
No not black ans yellow. It's either black and blue or yellow and white. /s
Load More Replies...The duo’s key message is to dress however you please and to love your body. The pair believes that it’s time to stop comparing yourself to others, and they hope that their Style Not Size project will inspire people to feel good in their own skin. No matter our bodies, sizes, and whatever people think.
Denise also stated that “the fact that we can inspire so many women to feel confident and be themselves makes us want to continue this movement.” The pair is over the moon to get so much positivity from people on social media.
For curvy ladies, Denise’s go-to combo in the autumn season is “some high-rise mom jeans, boots, a shirt and a leather jacket.” You can’t go wrong with it!
Adding this dress to the shopping list! This is so flattering, I feel like anyone would look good in it :)
Goddesses (also, unrelated, I really like that laminate flooring….)
I respectfully disagree, I love the greek style and the way the dress falls on their shoulders - but to each their own, what style would you have done to achieve an elegant ethereal effect? :) (I hope that didnt sount rude, i"m genuinely curious! What do you like? :) )
Load More Replies...Probably not but it's a possibility there are sandal heels.
Load More Replies...Hmm your name is 3 owls in a coat and you got in this article and you comment on all of them how beautiful they are... You sure you're not just 3 owls pretending to be an adult owl?
Load More Replies...I personally don't like the colour of the dress. I think it looks like poo
The one with smaller frame just needs to pop the sleeves off shoulder
Load More Replies...I want this dress. I'm a bigger lady and it's hard to find dresses (especially light ones) that look good on me.
Getting downvoted - sorry if that was rude BP, Ijust think they look absolutely bangin and I wanna look at least a tiny bit bangin too sometimes :( I work with the local drag club and one of my curvier girls wants this dress too so I’d genuinely love a tip 😅 I’ll keep it to myself next time I’m sorry, but would love to know what I did wrong!
Load More Replies...I think they look absolutely amazing, and I'm at a size that's in-between the two ladies. And I would also love to know where they snag these outfits from, do I don't see why you would get down voted for that. I mean there beautifully showing how the outfits work for the different shapes, and some of us struggle with that so the tips are amazing.
This is not good on either one. The cut is wrong and the fabric doesn't hang right.
Interesting what clothes do for the visual of body shapes as they look somewhat similar here.
it's more perspective. the thinner one is closer to the camera with the other girl almost "behind" her but with her leg stuck forward
Load More Replies...I actually like this particular dress, but for 90% of the outfits, I have to agree with you. It would be more interesting to see a variety of styles.
Load More Replies...Honestly I could wear this to work tomorrow (with a longer top, no midriff - and I'd still come nowhere near to killing it this hard)
This is the only one of the pictures that I think the young lady with less curves looks not so great in. I think it’s the color of the outfit, and her skin tone. Looks way better on the young lady with the more curves. Other than this one, they both look fantastic in all the other outfits. What a boring world it would be if we all looked the same.
Think girls is so white the doesnt look as good in pale colors. Many times I think they both look great but not this pale yellow
YOOOO me n my best friend at new years? 👀 (but we're both transmasc and live in separate countries oof)
I kind of dig this outfit. Both of them look gorgeous in it.
The dresses look like sonething Shabnam could wear for her next tour hahagagaga
This is what fashion companies should do: show the same outfits on different body types.
Seriously that would be so helpful! Because even when you're aware -- you still might buy something online based on how it was styled and looked on the model wearing it and forget that it's not going to look that way on you. It can still look good but it would look different and they could show you what it looks like on (and/or a way to style it) on 2 totally different figures and I would throw my money at them.
Load More Replies...This one caught my eye as well. They both look beautifull.
Load More Replies...I think this is the least flattering outfit on the larger girl. The top especially.
It's beautiful! But the string looks a little photoshopped lol. But both ladies are gorgeous.
Midriff on the larger girl is definitely photoshopped here.
Load More Replies...OMG both of you ladies are so beautiful just the way you both look says confidence. I wish I had half of it lol. Both beautiful no matter what outfit. 🤩🤩
i certainly wouldn't want to be friends with someone making me wear such hideous cheaply-made outfits in disgusting colors.
Load More Replies...Oh Jesus they're both rocking this so hard D: it's like a 6.5 over here
(Sorry im from the west coast of north america, its an earthquake joke, sometimes i forget this isnt a canadian website :) haha)
Load More Replies...Curvy lady nails it again! (I look just like the slender lady - that blazer would be too big on me too and hide my lack of curves - but she still rocks it better than I could) but holy c**p does this outfit ever suit the lady on the left 👏🥵
Slender lady looks amazing too - look at that cute smile!
Load More Replies...How are they both so stunning?! Both so pretty in their own unique ways and I love it :D
This is the only outfit I don’t like on either! Even the most gorgeous girls can’t save a fucky dress 😬
Oh this looks good on both! Good, I’m the president of the itty bitty titty committee and I need a new top
Who designed these outfits? A lot of them look really weird and ugly, regardless of the body type of the wearer.
I think they're just fast fashion. Very cheap looking, poorly made clothes. That these ladies can actually make these clothes look decent, is a testament to their attractiveness and nothing to do with the clothes
Load More Replies...when will bp learn that nobody is here to look at instagram influencers taking poor-quality photos of themselves in ugly clothes to prove a point that didn't need to be proved? all of us here are decent folks who know people can be beautiful & fashionable regardless of body type. this article is pointless clout-chasing. not to mention the curvy girl is still conventionally attractive, with a perfect hourglass figure, flat stomach, & 0 stretch marks. not a whole lot of curvy women look 100% flawless like that, so they ruined their own point of "everyone can be beautiful in the same styles!" by only using conventionally attractive models.
You would be right, except you forgot one important fact. These ladies are not models. They only represent themselves. Your judgement is unfair to their whole concept, which is to love the body you got and to wear what you want, regardless of societies expectations. No one should put oneself in a box.
Load More Replies...Body positivity is great. but maybe it should stretch beyond a conventionally attractive plus size person and a somewhat curvy skinny person. I'd have liked to see people with more "imperfect" bodies, too
I would love to know where they're getting these clothes thank don't seem to follow the standard "let's just make the plus size version bigger all around" and how the plus size friend has managed to find so many outfits that fit her perfectly....this is not representative of the plus size experience. I suspect these clothes were made or altered to their personal measurements. I hate this trend. The bigger woman is always proportioned in the conventionally acceptable way (waist to hip ratio, flatter stomach) and it's completely unrealistic.
Considering they're content creators, their photography skills are horrendous!
Lol well as someone who can barely operate a phone camera, they're better than what I got! 😂😂
Load More Replies...One is thin, and the other one has an hourglass shape, which means virtually everything will suit them. Not really a challenge
Exactly! They both seem to have the same body type, one is just a bit on a plus size
Load More Replies...These girls are gorgeous, and the dresses perfectly fit either body type!
They need taller photographer. That angle is ... i hate it. And I liked outfits on curvy girl more than on other girl. There is many colour choises which is unflaterring on pale skin.
Who designed these outfits? A lot of them look really weird and ugly, regardless of the body type of the wearer.
I think they're just fast fashion. Very cheap looking, poorly made clothes. That these ladies can actually make these clothes look decent, is a testament to their attractiveness and nothing to do with the clothes
Load More Replies...when will bp learn that nobody is here to look at instagram influencers taking poor-quality photos of themselves in ugly clothes to prove a point that didn't need to be proved? all of us here are decent folks who know people can be beautiful & fashionable regardless of body type. this article is pointless clout-chasing. not to mention the curvy girl is still conventionally attractive, with a perfect hourglass figure, flat stomach, & 0 stretch marks. not a whole lot of curvy women look 100% flawless like that, so they ruined their own point of "everyone can be beautiful in the same styles!" by only using conventionally attractive models.
You would be right, except you forgot one important fact. These ladies are not models. They only represent themselves. Your judgement is unfair to their whole concept, which is to love the body you got and to wear what you want, regardless of societies expectations. No one should put oneself in a box.
Load More Replies...Body positivity is great. but maybe it should stretch beyond a conventionally attractive plus size person and a somewhat curvy skinny person. I'd have liked to see people with more "imperfect" bodies, too
I would love to know where they're getting these clothes thank don't seem to follow the standard "let's just make the plus size version bigger all around" and how the plus size friend has managed to find so many outfits that fit her perfectly....this is not representative of the plus size experience. I suspect these clothes were made or altered to their personal measurements. I hate this trend. The bigger woman is always proportioned in the conventionally acceptable way (waist to hip ratio, flatter stomach) and it's completely unrealistic.
Considering they're content creators, their photography skills are horrendous!
Lol well as someone who can barely operate a phone camera, they're better than what I got! 😂😂
Load More Replies...One is thin, and the other one has an hourglass shape, which means virtually everything will suit them. Not really a challenge
Exactly! They both seem to have the same body type, one is just a bit on a plus size
Load More Replies...These girls are gorgeous, and the dresses perfectly fit either body type!
They need taller photographer. That angle is ... i hate it. And I liked outfits on curvy girl more than on other girl. There is many colour choises which is unflaterring on pale skin.
