2 friends are sharing TikTok videos that show how the same outfit looks on their different body types

• Denise Mercedes and Maria Castellanos have been best friends for five years.
• In 2019, the two started posting photos on Instagram of their matching outfits to show what the clothing looks like on two different body types.
• Mercedes is a size 14 and says she has an hourglass figure, while Castellanos wears a size two and says she has more of an athletic build.
• Since the response to their Instagram photos has been positive, the two decided to start sharing more videos on TikTok.

When Denise Mercedes and Maria Castellanos first met five years ago, they had no idea of the conversation they would eventually start around body positivity.

The two met because their partners are friends, and now they work together as social-media influencers. Mercedes has been a content creator for curvy, plus-size women for years while Castellanos is a professional dancer who has also started dedicating time to posting on social media.

"When I first met Denise, I was starting out as a photographer and I asked if she minded if I take some of her pictures," Castellanos told Insider. "It became a weekly thing and then our friendship grew from there."

In 2019, Mercedes shared a photo of her and her best friend wearing the same Aerie bikini on Instagram with a caption that said: "2 different body types, same bikini! She's wearing a small and I'm wearing an xl yet aren't we both beautiful?!!"

The post shared in 2019 was the beginning of what is now called the #StyleNotSize series

Mercedes and Castellanos liked the idea of wearing the same outfit and showing it off on social media. And while Mercedes is a size 14 and Castellanos is a size two, the friends' posts prove how great the outfits look on both body types.

In the beginning, they didn't have a name or hashtag for all the photos of their outfits that they were posting. But in January, the two shared their first TikTok video showing off their similar looks, and it got more than 1.5 million views.

After seeing the success of their Instagram posts and their first TikTok video, Mercedes and Castellanos came up with the idea to create a hashtag for the series. They let their Instagram followers vote between #ThroughThickAndThin and #StyleNotSize. The latter won by a few votes, and so, the series was born.

"We got so much positive feedback that we knew we needed to continue doing it," Mercedes said. "The whole purpose of the series is to portray two different body types wearing clothes that we both look great in."

Mercedes and Castellanos have continued posting videos, but rather than just wearing similar clothes, they now model the exact same outfits in different sizes.

"Denise has so much confidence while I wasn't comfortable wearing everything," Castellanos said. "She inspired me and I gained confidence in myself, and it then became about inspiring others around us, too."

Mercedes and Castellanos have modeled crop tops, maxi dresses, high-waisted jeans, body-con dresses, and even swimsuits

"I love wearing outfits that society has said plus-size women shouldn't wear," Mercedes told Insider. "For example, they say plus-size women shouldn't wear crop tops or show off their stomachs, so we like to do that because it's the most controversial."

That's the same reason why Mercedes and Castellanos don't have any plans to stop sharing swimsuit photos. The two friends want to show that everyone should feel confident in whatever they want to wear, including a bikini.

"People say you should only wear a bikini if you have a bikini body, but we're trying to say there is no bikini body," Mercedes said. "The bikini body is whatever body you have."

When it comes to picking what clothes they are going to show off, Mercedes and Castellanos admitted it takes them a while to get on the same page, as they like to highlight brands that carry extended sizing, such as American Eagle and ASOS.

The two often share accounts on store websites so they can add items to their wish list and then pick what they both like from there.

"When we are picking out items, there are certain things that I like that she doesn't but she's willing to try," Mercedes said. "We compromise and then when we try out the clothes, we realize how great we both look."

Although Mercedes and Castellanos are having fun posting their style videos, it does come at a price

Mercedes admitted that 99% of the comments and feedback are amazing, but there is that 1% that criticize both of them, and even compare what they look like in the same outfits.

"One thing that I found is people saying that I'm not a good representation of plus-size because I have an hourglass figure, which makes me feel bad," Mercedes said. "At the end of the day, I'm a woman. I'm a plus-size woman."

"My shape shouldn't mean that I can't represent plus-size women," she added. "Plus-size women come in all shapes and sizes, but so do thin women."

Castellanos, on the other hand, said she's experienced people in the comments shaming her for being "too skinny."

"I knew skinny-shaming was a thing, but I didn't realize it was that strong," she said. "People would say that I have an eating disorder and compare us to other people who were extremely unhealthy. The point is not to choose who looks better, it's to show that we both look great in the same thing."

"People still don't understand," Mercedes added. "We try our best, but there are always going to be negative comments and people who just don't like what we do."

Despite the negative feedback, Mercedes and Castellanos love to cheer each other on when they are taking pictures and videos for the #StyleNotSize series.

"Every time we do one of these, we are in party mode and we just feel so good," Castellanos told Insider of their series on TikTok.

"We are always complimenting one another, and we are here to be supportive," Mercedes added.

The two best friends hope to see the #StyleNotSize series continue to grow, and they'd like to collaborate with other creators to show off women in all shapes and sizes.

"We want to break the rules and open the eyes of the fashion industry by letting them know they should carry all sizes," Castellanos said. "The internet is the biggest bully, so we are just trying to show that you can be yourself and have fun with it."

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