This week another clothing retailer revealed they do not and will NOT make their clothes available in plus sizes and the media exploded in outrage. How is this new?
Did we all forget the 5-7-9 store? (I wonder what the vanity size equivalent would be.)
This is nothing new; no business can cater to everyone. It’s just not a smart business strategy.
I’m especially NOT upset that I will never be able to fit into a pair of Lululemon yoga pants, despite my affinity for yoga pants. It is obvious Lululemon is not capable of handling the quality needs of plus size women. In case you forgot they had to recall yoga pants due to sheerness. Uh, no thank you.
Making and designing Plus Size clothing is more than just taking a normal size item and making it bigger. Plus Size women have different body types, curves in different places, and different quality needs. Even among the clothing stores that do cater to Plus Sizes, there are different styles and different fits…Torrid, to Lane Bryant to Catherine’s. All have a very different style of clothing, and I notice a different in “fit” among stores. Junonia is a company that specializes in active clothing for Plus Size women, more than just yoga pants, but swimwear and outdoors clothing.
Wait, what was that? There are stores that cater to ONLY plus size women? How dare they not make their cute available to normal size women? I am not being sarcastic. Years ago I worked at Lane Bryant, and we often had normal sized women walk in asking for the shirt in the window in their size, and we had to break the news that the smallest we carried was a 14. And remember that’s a Women’s size 14, not a Misses 14. The fit will be different.
What makes me angrier than retailers who refuse to offer Plus Size clothing, is the treatment often received from the retailers who proclaim to cater to our Plus Size needs. As a plus size woman I realize I am going to pay more for my clothing, I do not think it is too much to ask that those clothes meet the quality needs of plus size clientele. Underwear should withstand more than 1-2 wearing. T-shirts should have appropriate designs. I opt to ask that Plus Size retailers do a better job at serving their clientele than demand all companies make ALL sizes. The latter is not a reasonable expectation. I’m quite sure the Tall and Petite women out there can echo this. Plus size is not the only specialty size left out by the mainstream designers.
Are we going to demand that Victoria’s Secret start selling men’s products? Oh wait. Victoria Secret is another store that does not provide Plus Size items.
I mean really I could list an entire MALL DIRECTORY of places that do not offer plus sizes. Why is the outrage only over those who actually admit it?
I think we all need to take a deep breath.
Calm down.
And redirect our energy towards other worthier causes. I choose weight bias in healthcare and employment.
Wow, story was picked up on Twitter!
Yoga Fashion Daily is out! http://t.co/Ue6x2zTVjJ ▸ Top stories today via @Katlynjz89 @Born2lbFat
— YYC Yoga (@yycyoga) August 4, 2013
From the first sentence: This week another clothing retailer revealed they do not and will make their clothes available in plus sizes and the media exploded in outrage
**Did you mean to say and will NOT? Because otherwise, I don’t get it.
Yes, thanks for catching that.
I need to mention two things before I comment: 1) I am a size 16 misses. 2) I was formerly employed by a plus size store that has since gone out of business.
I am one of those people that bitched about the LuLumon thing. The reason being is my size. My jean size, last time I checked, is the AVERAGE size of an American woman. What does that mean to retailers? In my opinion, it means we are going to treat you like shit. Some stores won’t carry my size (e.g. Banana Republic) and some do (e.g. Gap). Some only have it online (e.g. Banana Republic). Some consider it to be a “plus size” while other consider it to be “normal”.
I am not at all complaining about my plight in life, it’s just that it seems like the issue is actually consistency in sizing and figuring out WHERE TO GO TO GET FREAKIN’ CLOTHES AT A MALL.
Companies are always changing what their sizes ACTUALLY are. I’ve noticed if I take a tape measure around my waist and then try to purchase clothing based on that information that things go terribly, terribly wrong. If I go into a store and try on the clothes, the item they say is a certain number of inches is actually 10 inches wider than it claims to be on the website. TEN. How can that be?
So while that means the stores are making me feel thinner than I am, why not just label things as they actually are and assign a consistent number to them across the board. It’s not like I am believing a fantasy that my body is like the mannequin. I know I am not what society considers to be thin. I know I am considered curvy.
At this point, I don’t care that I can’t buy pants at Anne Taylor but that I wear a size Medium shirt there when my chest is the largest size Victoria’s Secret carries. MAKES NO SENSE! But what would be nice is if labels actually meant what they say they are.
Then I would know not to even walk into certain stores, rather than going into place like Lululemon (which I have been in twice) and getting looks suggesting I’m in the wrong store.
Many people I know who have lost weight are very happy to no longer have to shop at plus size stores. In a way I appreciate the fact I “know” them and their sizing. As you describe sizes no matter what size range we are in are not consistent, and that is very frustrating. I know what size I generally fit in at Lane Bryant and Avenue. And that the same size, say a 22/24 at Macy’s most likely will not fit me. But I can wear an 18/20 dress from Old Navy.
Well, it’s been 5 years since you wrote this but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your humor and honesty. I’ve garnered so much from your blog. You are a breath of fresh air in our big fat world. I say fat world cuz it sure as hell ain’t thin. LOL.