Circa an hour ago, I was sat at my desk in Cosmopolitan HQ debating over whether I needed (read: could pull off) the high-leg bikini that our fashion writer had laid out for the taking on the freebie table. I concluded: no. The answer goes beyond that bit of ’kini floss though – since hitting my twenties, I’ve felt somewhat uncomfortable in my mid-size body. Now, as a caucasian, able-bodied, size 12 (give or take, depending on the day) woman, I’m not here for sympathy, and woe is certainly not me etcetera, etcetera. But my Wednesday afternoon office thoughts were stopped in their tracks by Fenty Beauty’s latest campaign.
Fenty Beauty – founded by Rihanna, a pop superstar and queen advocate of the body-ody-ody – released a trio of campaign images to showcase the brand’s upcoming summer collection. And while the products themselves have us feeling all types of ways, what caused a stir both online and in our work group chat were the models featured.
Now six years old, the Fenty Beauty brand has long celebrated diversity and inclusivity, leading the way for other bigger beauty brands to follow suit, and inspiring a bastion of new indie brands to make a go at it. TBT when they first launched with an impressively wide range of 40 foundation shades, which later expanded to 50. In 2019, the Gloss Bomb campaign featured a roster of models of all shapes, sizes, and skintones. ‘What, like it’s hard?’ we can imagine Rih Rih saying.
This latest summer collection features three women of different body types in bikinis, their tan lines outlining the latest beauty product drop. Major! Of course, there were the cursory Instagram comments decrying the “promoting of obesity” as happens when any plus-size women tries to *exist* online, but the reaction has been more positive and celebratory. Yay. We love how it’s acknowledging that plus-size people do exist. And not only that, but they are beautiful, too. It’s authentic, understated, and it’s v real.
Every body should be treated with the same respect in the contemporary beauty space, but even that simple missive feels like a mountain we’re *still* climbing. This is a world where Ozempic is on ‘trend’, of course. Every body should be treated as an equal in an industry that so often would like you to forget that plus-sized bodies do exist.
I’m thankfully one of the many who appreciates the beauty in the different bodies portrayed in Fenty Beauty’s campaign. Fans, friends, followers and social media users have taken to the comments sections of the posts to share their thoughts. Read a select few of our faves, below:
Everyone's clicking on...
"This is my shape fr"
"It’s so nice to see body diversity!!! ❤️🔥"
"I love the positivity on Fenty Beauty's Instagram, such a vibe. all of you are gorgeous and slay in your own way, doesn’t matter how many stretch marks, what skin tone or body type you have 🫶🏻"
"This is what my body looks like 😍 thank you for showing beautiful real x"
"My body looks exactly like that"
"Love the campaign 😍"
"Fenty has ALWAYS shown a diverse variety of humans. All three of these campaign shots represent what different people look like. It's not "promoting obesity". They're promoting makeup. And *gasp* people who aren't thin ALSO wear makeup. We should be shown just like anyone else."
"You guys don’t understand how much this representation matters! Omg it’s so refreshing ☺️💖"
To see a body like your own at the centre of a monumental campaign for one of the biggest beauty brands in the world is, now, what we’re striving for as the norm. Look at Selena Gomez killing it with Rare Beauty, too – when the brand launched in 2020, she dropped their first advertising campaign for the Liquid Touch Foundation with un-retouched photos of a diverse portfolio of models, using their 48-shade range. Fake tan fave Isle of Paradise has also made waves for their 'Get Body Posi' campaign, which featured fashion and beauty influencer and wheelchair user Tess Daly. It can be done, people! There’s always more to be done when it comes to diverse representation in the media and beauty industry. Will more brands follow suit with real-life consumer representation this summer and beyond? For now anyway, we’re revelling in this win.
As Tess Holliday so perfectly put it after criticism arose from her 2018 Cosmopolitan UK cover, “I'm literally just existing in my body. I don't have to prove that I'm healthy to anybody. I'm so incredibly grateful to be able to exist in this space that people haven't been able to before.”
Bikini = picked up. Mic = dropped.
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Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK, with over four years of experience reporting across the brand's print, social, video and digital platforms. Lia covers everything from emerging trend analysis to viral celebrity hair and makeup moments, making her an expert at spotting the season’s next big beauty look (before it takes over social media feeds).
In 2025, she was named The Rising Media Star at the Love Perfume Awards with The Perfume Shop, recognised for her outstanding digital fragrance content and for building genuine authority within the space. She is passionate about challenging outdated beauty stereotypes, championing inclusive representation in beauty, and educating readers on the trends, products and conversations shaping the industry today. Follow her on Instagram or find her on LinkedIn.
