Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for People en EspanolWhile some female stars look forward to the idea of getting glamorous for red carpet events, other leading ladies are finding themselves in a constant state of frustration, because the fact of the matter is designers aren't reaching out to all women when it comes to dressing them for events.
And unfortunately, that's something Orange Is the New Black star Dascha Polanco has experienced first-hand on multiple occasions.
The fashion enthusiast and actress opened up to Vogue about her struggles in finding designer clothing to wear for events, simply because she doesn't have the body type that they prefer.
"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.'"
Polanco, who has managed to slay on the carpet regardless of help from brand names, added that she once reached out to a designer she personally admired, but they refused to work with her.
"I had a situation with a high-end brand the other day where I had personally invested so much money purchasing their items, and I love what they do, so I had my publicist reach out to their PR team. Their response was, "Oh, you're not the sizes we have, not right now, maybe in the future," she explained.
"Now even if they want me to [wear their designs] down the road, I will not give them the pleasure. It's disappointing, but I try to work with up-and-coming designers who will make things for me and who will collaborate with me. People who love my curves and embrace them as much as I do."
Polanco continued, "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.
"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'...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."
And one of those things is creating her own fashion line, because if other designers aren't going to create the right clothes for her, she's gonna do it her own damn self.
"I want to design something that's between plus and between sample sizes—a brand that eventually would market to everyone, to all women, period," says Polanco. "I think that Hollywood-wise, people that have influence have to start making the change and speaking up. This year I've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, as far as fashion goes, just meeting with people, collaborating and brainstorming, because fashion is something I will invest my time in."
Although the busy star can't give an ETA on when we can see her ideas come to life, she reassures the mag that, "I'm creative enough, and to be honest with you, I don't mind work. Now more than before, it's like, ‘You're not going to make my shit? Well, I'm going to make my own!'"