Empire Waist

Plot Summary

Lenore is the quiet girl in class. She feels invisible to everyone except for her graphic designer father and health-obsessed mother. Being plus-sized, her invisibility feels like a gift. However, her true gift is her fashion design prowess, which she keeps a secret in her closet because she doesn’t feel worthy of her designs. That all changes when she’s paired with Kayla, a loud and proud plus-sized black girl, for a school project. Kayla finds Lenore’s secret collection and won’t let her hide it in the closet anymore.

Critical Evaluation

Empire Waist is a cute movie with a powerful message. Even from the trailer, it’s clear to see that the goal of this movie is to promote body positivity in all people. It is by no means a high-budget or high-art piece, but it is a fun, feel-good movie with more body diversity than I’ve seen in a long time. 

For most of the cast, the acting felt very akin to a Disney Channel Original Movie (or DCOM as they are lovingly known), where each character has one, maybe two, character traits that are over the top and exaggerated. The exception to this was the principal actress, Mia Kaplan (Lenore), whose acting was solid and believable throughout. The supporting actress, Jemima Yevu (Kayla), was very good in the more serious moments but tended to go over the top with her comedy. I was greatly appreciative of those serious moments, however, as they were the heart of the movie, and each one was given the gravity it deserved. Both when Lenore has her emotional downfall and when Kayla has hers near the end of the movie, the problems center around body image and their weight. Both are fat girls who are seen as undeserving and ugly simply because of their weight, disregarding their personalities and accomplishments. It’s a reality that many fat people have to face, but it is something that they shouldn’t have to. The main message of this movie is that people shouldn’t be judged on their appearance, but instead on who they are. In these low moments for each girl, they show that their bodies are beautiful and they shouldn't be ashamed of them; instead, those who judge them only on their bodies are the ones who should be ashamed. 

Part of what really builds this powerful message is their inclusion of a variety of body diversity. Along with the two plus-sized leads, the core friend group includes a very tall and skinny transgirl (Tina played by Holly McDowell), a wheelchair using lesbian (Marcy played by Daisy Washington) and a short girl who doesn’t speak much (Diamond played by Kassandra Tellez). Each of these girls has trouble finding clothes that fit them, let alone clothes that they can feel comfortable and confident in. Unfortunately, if the movie were only about Lenore and Kayla, the message wouldn’t have been as powerful. Since people tend to devalue fat people because their bodies have been moralized as a “choice” and that they should “just make better decisions,” they tend to be ignored when it comes to body-positive messaging. By including more body diversity, the message that people should love their bodies as they are rings truer with fewer reasons to dismiss it. Overall, Empire Waist handles the messaging of confidence and body positivity with deliberate delicacy that emphasizes their message and its importance. 

For a quick statement about the fashion. Some of the outfits are incredible, particularly at the final showcase, while others are… well, they leave something to be desired. But they all feel achievable by a teen girl who has never taken a fashion or sewing class. At first, I was disappointed by some of the outfits, but then I realized that they were all very believable, which I appreciated. If this movie were to inspire any future designers, it’s important that the work is achievable for a beginner in order to set more realistic expectations. So in the end, I really liked how the fashion was shown!

Creative Use for a Library Program 

There are two programs that I immediately wanted to try and implement as a result of watching this movie: 

1. Creating/tailoring your own clothes to match your ideal style. Teens can learn basic sewing and design techniques to create their own clothing. This could either be a one-off program or a recurring group, depending on interest.

2. Confidence curriculum program. Using the information and activities in the Empire Waist Confidence Curriculum or inviting a health expert, the librarian can devise a program to help teens feel happier in their bodies and more confident in their daily lives. The curriculum developed by Claire Ayoub was vetted “alongside experts in social-emotional-learning (SEL), social work, psychology, education, and healthcare” (Ayoub, 2024b) 

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

There is queer representation in this movie, which always provides a chance for a challenge to be raised. I have already addressed how I would handle challenges to queer media in other posts. 

This movie also has the possibility of being challenged for its body-positive message. In the movie, Kayla is not ashamed of being fat and helps Lenore to realize that she shouldn’t be ashamed either. Some people believe that this is a message that supports unhealthy eating and health habits. The message in the movie, however, isn’t about the eating habits of any character but that everyone should love their body no matter what it looks like. The mother, who exercises regularly and eats healthy foods, has just as many body image issues as Lenore. This is a perspective that, like all perspectives, should be represented in a library. The messaging is not directly harmful, instead promoting positive interactions within each character.

Reason for Inclusion

I really enjoyed watching this movie. It wasn’t life-changing or profound, but it was a lot of fun with a great message. I appreciate the amount of diversity in body shapes, sizes, and abilities of the main core group of characters. It’s not often that you get a lot of body diversity in film, so this movie offers a great source of representation for teens. The greatest power of this movie is in its message about body positivity, something that needs to be in a teen collection.