Fat Fashion, or the Lack Thereof

Fat Fashion, or the Lack Thereof
More than sixty percent of the American population is overweight. I’ll accept that fact easily. However the marketing geniuses at large discount department stores might need a wake up call. I’m not naming names, but just picture the smiley face, and you’ll know exactly where I’m going with this.
Take their clothing for example. All the itsy bitsy clothes are shoved way to the front of the store, and take up approximately seventy five percent of the floor space allotted for clothing. The plus size section is shoved into the farthest corner of the women’s department taking up about 18% of the remaining space, and the Maternity section is placed right next to it, with the other 7% of floor space. Because obviously pregnant women who feel fat, whose bodies have undergone traumatic changes want to be reminded that their girth has increased so significantly in such a short a time that they’ve been hidden away with the fat girls. Not to mention that it is a great idea to give them parking spaces right at the front of the store, and force them to go on a quest once inside to even find the two racks of clothing that are actually intended to fit them. Brilliant. I say put the maternity clothes up front so the poor women don’t have to walk any further than necessary.
As for us fat girls, I suppose they were being sensitive to our embarrassment about our size and thus thought to tuck our elastic waist band, stretch pants and screen printed kitten tees way in the back so we could pilfer through the meager offerings in relative solitude and anonymity. Catch a clue, people. If I buy it, if I wear it in public, I don’t give a damn who sees me pulling it off the rack. And further more, if more than half of the population is overwieight, then more than half the clothes in your store ought to reflect it.
Furthermore, I am not nine years old. I do not need Pooh Bear emblazoned across my chest. My chest tends to get enough attention on its own without adding any cartoon characters. I am also not ninety. I do not require elasticized waistbands in all of my clothing, despite my waist size. Fat comes in all ages, young old and everywhere in between. I do not need a floral print on everything I wear. I have no desire to blend with wallpaper and upholstery. Tents are not clothing.
One advantage of being a larger woman is that you get to have boobs. Real ones. So sell me some clothing that allows me to show them off, rather than Tigger. Instead, your only option is to walk out of there with stretch pants and t-shirts that are more suitable to someone at least three decades younger or three decades older than you are. I am not nearly as embarrassed by my body,as I would be to wear what the buyers at these stores think I ought to put on it.
It is the most frustrating thing in the world to walk into a discount department store, the ones whose claim to fame is one stop shopping and know that while you can purchase clothing there, you do not want to. Because all the cute stuff on display when you walk in, is never available in your size. Or heaven forbid, if a store does carry clothing in every size, they hike the price on the plus size. A size fourteen and size zero are the same price, but a size eighteen is three bucks more. Three bucks isn’t that big a deal, I know. But it’s the principle of the thing here. You’re being penalized for being larger. It ticks me off to no end. The size zero isn’t being discounted for using less fabric that the size ten, is it?
I have a few suggestions for these stores. First, find a well dressed plus sized woman and make her the buyer for your plus size department. Second, keep the cartoon characters in the kids sections. No self respecting adult woman of any size ought to be walking around with Disney character covering her boobs. Third, increase your selection of plus sized clothing. Offer a wider variety. And the trends of the season should not be restricted to those size fourteen and below. The price for a garment ought to be the same no matter what size it is.
In the meantime, we do what we must to look the best we can. Attractive clothing for larger women exists. It is out there, but it is only sold at exclusive stores that jack up the price far quicker than they jack up the quality. Again, the clearance rack is your best friend here…. And coupons.
Having a good wardrobe is not impossible, but it requires a certain amount of skill, bargain hunting, classics, and versatility. When you buy clothes, go with simple pieces that FIT you. No one ever made themselves look smaller by wearing clothes that were too big. No one ever made themselves look smaller by wearing clothes that were too tight either. That only makes you look like a sausage. So find your size, find clothing that gives your body balance and draws attention to the areas of your body you actually want people to look at. And this incidentally, is advice for all sizes.