Just because America is in love with cake doesn’t mean that walking into the plus size section of any given department store should consistently result in disappointment for all parties involved. According to the CDC (the Center for Disease Control) in 2013 one-third of U.S. adults are considered to be obese, a percentage that has only grown in the past 4 years. Between the years 1980 and 2010 the number of obese adolescents, people between the age of 12-19, has more than tripled, going from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2010. This being said, you would think that by now our society would be more comfortable with a little extra padding, or perhaps even that they would of adapted their views of beauty to include those of us that weigh in a little higher on the scale.
If people are statistically bigger this year than ever how can it be that nice “plus-sized” clothing is so hard to find? In a world where the average American woman is said to be closer to a size 16 than to a size 6, it’s amazing how many stores still pretend that bigger people don’t exist or are simply not important to them. In May of this year the lead CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch was even quoted as saying that “his stores don’t sell XL or XXL clothes because fat people are not part of the ‘in’ crowd, nor should they be”, a statement that caused uproar among the “fat” community. But thing is, stores are full of this stuff; a majority of stores in the typical all American mall are places that don’t stock anything bigger than a size 12 or 13—an obvious problem if you recall that the average American woman is closer to a 16, and that a 1/3 of Americans are overweight. Why is it that these places cater to such a small audience? Business wise, this move to exclude such a large portion of the population just doens’t make sense, especially when it wouldn’t take much to include those extra 2 0r 3 sizes in their inventory. So instead of making more sales, these stores force bigger people to go on to the next store down the line in hopes to find something there. The sad thing is, in today’s typical mall scene no matter how many stores a plus size young girl or woman goes in to there is a good chance that they won’t find anything close to their size.
And thing is, size is completely relative. In one store a person may need a size 16, while in another the same person might fit in a size 14, or the other way they might need a size 18. The sizing of clothing largely depends on which store you’re getting it from. While Old Navy considers an a size large to consist of a 40 inch bust and a 32 inch waistline, Forever 21 considers a large to consist of a 38 inch bust and a 30 inch waistline. In thought, 2 inches don’t seem like much. That is until you grab your usual size off the rack and take it to the fitting rooms to try it on only to see that you can’t get the sleeves to fit over your upper arms—2 inches can make a noticeable difference in the way that a piece of clothing fits. A bigger person, such as myself, could go into a store and excitedly see that they carry their size, only to be disappointed in the dressing room.
Sure, in many malls there are now 1 or even 2 stores, such as Lane Bryant or Torrids, that specialize in plus sized clothing, but besides that there’s not usually much to find in the ways of plus sized clothing in that atmosphere. Those places being there is nice and all, until you look at the price tag, as it seems that plus sized clothing is not only harder to find, but much more expensive. Sure, a few stores such as JC Penny’s or Macy’s may have a plus sized section, but often those sections are pushed off to the back or corner of the store where many people may not even notice them. And I’ve found that even if those sections are there, usually they’re catered more to older people than they are to teens or to young women in their early to mid 20s.
Why is it that things are made so difficult for a majority of the population? Not only are larger sizes of clothing not sold in a lot of places, but when they are sometimes they’re as much as twice as expensive. While a dress for a size 12 may cost $40, a very similar dress for a size 18 could cost anywhere between $70-$80. It’s understood that plus sized clothing requires a bit more fabric, but does that extra fabric really add up to $40? The difference between a size 12 and a size 18 is only a few inches of fabric, and though this is a subject that is personal to me, it goes so far beyond that.
Does being a bigger person mean that I’m not allowed to wear nice things or be interested in fashion? Take a look at the runway, or at fashion week. You’ll see women that are “healthy” by society’s standards. These women are often wearing a size 0 of whatever is the latest trend. These women become what young girls and teenagers begin to look up to and want to become. A person can’t help but think that this is the reason why we’re living in a time where eating disorders are more common than ever. According to anad.org (the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) statistics show that not only is Anorexia the third most common chronic illness among adolescents, but that 25% of college-aged women engage in binging and purging as a weight-management technique. This same site also says that statistically the model body type that was mentioned previously is possessed naturally by only 5% of the American female population. How can these statistics be true and such a large part of our society still maintain the views that it has? Our society overtly promotes an unnatural thin body type, and then turns the other way when it has a negative impact on people.
And why is this such a problem? It’s because the media has begun to teach the younger generations that unless they look like something that just came off the runway, that there’s something wrong with them. Young girls, very young girls, often have very distorted images about what it is that beauty is for this reason. When I was in 4th grade, things were much different than they are for the 4th graders in this year. For me it was immediately strange the moment any kid in your class came to school wearing makeup, because it was a thing that was known to be weird–simply because of the age that we were. 11 and 12 year olds shouldn’t be already feeling that they aren’t beautiful without makeup and fancy clothes. I didn’t have a cell phone when I was that age either, but in this day and age it seems that it is more common for that age group to have cell phones and ipads and fancy things than it is for them to not to. Our society has created new generations of people that are obsessive not only about making sure they have the newest “in” gadget, but they’re this way about the way they look as well. And that’s the only explanation to the ridiculous boom of mental weight related illness from 2008-2013.
As many other mental illnesses, Anorexia is often pushed aside by people as being something that isn’t serious or something that the person suffering from it is just making up as an excuse. Also like other mental illnesses, people that have them are often told to “just get over it”, and that “nothing is wrong with you”. I can’t help but see that society has created this picture of the perfect young woman, and when people can’t live up to that things like Anorexia happen, but when someone needs help for the condition people don’t often openly act supportive. If someone were to say that they couldn’t go to school because they had a cold people would tell them to rest and feel better soon, but if the same person told people that they couldn’t go to school because they were having a triggering day they wouldn’t be given the same response. At least that’s my experience with mental illness. Because it is something that is rooted in the mind, people often see it as fake. And though the mind-set of the society caused this issue, it still refuses to see it as an actual issue.
The last time I fit into a size 6 jeans was never. Growing up I was always considered to be “bigger boned”, and there were many factors growing up that caused me to gain weight, some of which were beyond my control. And this being said, growing up I had issues with self image, as if growing up in this day and time wasn’t hard enough as it is. Everywhere I went there were negative views of bigger people being tossed around; everywhere there were people saying that bigger people needed to go on a diet, or just stop eating so much cake, as if that was the only possible cause for the way that they were. And there I was, 12 years old, overweight, and it wasn’t necessarily because of food, but society somehow made me feel like it was—like it was my fault that my genes weren’t the best. Sometimes a person gains weight because of a health condition; sometimes people gain weight because of their genetic makeup. Of course, society doesn’t consider genetics in its definition of beauty.
I as well as many other people know that being overweight isn’t always because you like food. But I do like food. And I understand that even though my weight gain as a child may not of been in my control, that my health as a young adult is based off of my decisions food wise, and that perhaps I haven’t made the healthiest choices. Though, even with the stigma surrounding it, I don’t see why that has to be such a bad thing. In other time periods bigger women were even idolized, because it was a sign of not only wealthiness, but health–leaving many women now to wish they had been born in a different time period, one where paintings were created in honor of big beautiful people.
That being said, if you’re bigger in this society, people don’t seem to think positively about you, and if you develop a mental illness because of these negative thoughts that they direct your way it is ignored. We’re living in an age of media and of technology and of equality in so many other fronts, so why not equality in acceptance of the human body no matter its weight? Why aren’t we seeing average or plus sized models on the runway? Being overweight does not define a person. Thankfully there are numerous ads out right now trying to show people reality, such as the Dove “Love Your Body” campaign. ANAD also has several fliers on their website that they encourage people to print and post everywhere they think they’ll be seen. These fliers include messages such as “Worth can’t be measured by the size of your waist, because character and capacity for love doesn’t come in sizes”, and others drawing attention to how unrealistic advertising images can be and explaining what ANAD is.
There are entire blogs dedicated to this topic of self love on the popular social media platform Tumblr, such as beautyhasnobmi.tumblr.com and practice-self-love.tumblr.com. These sites frequently post pictures of “bigger” girls wearing fashionable clothing and looking fabulous in it. It’s all about body positivity, and though the movement on that site is only small, it is still a movement. And I can only hope that before too long the rest of our society will be able to embrace this same state of mind. And maybe before too long we’ll start seeing move fuller figured women walking the runway along with the thinner ones. Yes, there are sometimes some medical complications and risks that come with having a little “more to love” as some people say. But as a person with a BMI that classifies me as obese, I can say that I am still healthy. And even if I do decided to change my eating habits and lose some weight, that doesn’t mean that I hate my body the way it is. The want to change isn’t always motivated out of hate, and that is something that is often wrongly assumed. You can have a want to live a healthier life without despising who it is that you currently are. And trust me, I know. Because yes, I’m overweight, but I’m happy with who I am physically.
I just wish that the same could be said for so many other young girls and women my size that have been taught to think differently by the media.
