This is precisely why I’m boycotting the word. I want to flatter people’s personalities, their choices, their jokes and their opinions. I don’t want to make anybody feel as though I regard them as more attractive or desirable because of the way their body looks in clothes.

If using the word ‘flattering’ as a compliment is something you find yourself doing a lot, I challenge you to reconsider your choice. Consider how your use of that word will be interpreted. Is it simply a subconscious reinforcement of the unfair and aesthetic expectations levelled at women from birth. There’s a bounty of other adjectives that will reinforce the way that somebody looks: try lovely and stylish. They’ll have the same effect with none of the negative connotations.

“We need to stop using the word ‘flattering’ when talking about fashion”