If you asked any average girl whether or not she enjoys shopping, you’d probably get mixed results. I mean, shopping can be fun. Especially after tax season, when you get that extra cash to help you decide that now is the time to buy those brand new sandals you’ve been waiting to get.
However, as a plus-sized girl, shopping can suck. Like, really, really suck.
I’m one of those women who’s in that in-between section: sometimes I can fit an X-large, and other times I have to bump up to a 1X. And I’m never the same size in each store. In fact, sometimes in said store I have to get different sizes for different styles of clothes. Bummer, right?
It’s actually kind of comedic, when you think about it. My best friend, who’s 5’8” and weighs roughly 130 pounds, loves shopping. She can step one foot into a mall and find something to wear in any of the stores she chooses to go into. Small and large purses look proportional on her, and she can even wear those bralette thingy-s Victoria’s Secret sells under thinner shirts so she doesn’t need a camisole.
I actually get quite jealous.
And then there’s me: 5’4”, 210 lbs., and thighs so thunderous that you don’t know where they start or end. And, no, I’m not self-hating, because trust me: I’m proud of my thighs. They keep me super warm outside in the cold while my best friend has to snuggle up next to me because she’s constantly cold. But, I have a hard time shopping anywhere I go – pants that I need to be shorter don’t come in a “short” option, but the next size down doesn’t go halfway up my thighs; shirts that are the perfect length have a collar that cuts waaaay too low, but going a size down means that the shirt hugs my boobs too snug, or the arm cutouts are too big if I go a size up and it’s a tank top.
My best friend, Anya, and I the night before prom this past May.
It’s a never-ending battle that I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one to experience.
To use a better pop culture reference: The struggle is real.
Like, really, though. Am I the only one?
The even funnier part about it is that those plus-sized specialty stores are not only toooo expensive, but their clothes are cut too wide. Hello, I’m only 17. I haven’t had a kid yet; my hips are still pretty narrow despite all of my other larger areas. And can we all agree that most of their clothes are either too adult-ish, too professional, or just too weird looking?
Good.
Like I mentioned in my last article, I love how places like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe are carrying plus-sized sections in their stores. But, why even separate sections? Nothing’s worse than finding a cute shirt in the “regular” section, walking over to the plus-sized section, and not finding it anywhere. Or, pawing allll the way to the back of the available pieces of merchandise only to find that the one X-large shirt has a stain on it from the previous person who tried it on.
A Forever 21 photo on their plus-sized section of their website.
Urgh.
My most recent battle involved a fashion staple that became “okay” for women to start wearing around the time of World War II, when women had to work in factories instead of staying at home. They’re (supposed to be) practical, cute, and comfortable. And, they’re supposed to go with everything. That’s right, people. I’m talking about jeans.
Women working on submarines in WWII.
I love jeans. Like, I would marry them if it was legal. They go with practically everything I own (especially since all I wear are t-shirts and anything from VS Pink). But the one thing I’ve never liked about women’s jeans is how much they’re made of products other than cotton. Rayon, Polyester, Spandex… jeans are becoming more and more like leggings, and, no, I’m not talking about “jeggings” (which are ridiculous, if I may say so myself).
Whatever happened to the time when jeans were supposed to be stiff but still soft enough they moved with you, and thick enough they didn’t look like they were painted on? Doesn’t anyone realize that jeans are supposed to be somewhat loose and not so tight they overemphasize your butt and give you camel toe?
Apparently not.
I’ve worn Old Navy’s jeans since I started middle school. They’ve always made the style that I like, used the materials that I like, and have sales that I like. But, this past August, they revamped their jeans, and now I detest them.
Old Navy’s Sweetheart jeans – what I used to wear.
Old Navy’s new Curvy jeans – what I absoutely detest.
The one place that I knew I could count on to make jeans that were 99% cotton no longer did.
I literally cried when I tried a pair on after not needing new jeans since my sophomore year of high school.
And so, my two month long search for jeans began.
I tried everything everywhere: Wal-mart, Target, Aeropostale, American Eagle, and New York & Company, just to name a few. All of the jeans were either too much like leggings, not available in the store in my size, or too long and not available in short.
And then, finally, I found two different brands that were close to what I wanted: Sonoma & Vera Wang at Kohl’s.
What my new jeans from Kohl’s look like (they’re from Sonoma).
Thank God Kohl’s was having a sale that weekend. My Sonoma jeans would’ve come in at $36 per pair, and the Vera Wang ones would’ve been a whopping $50. All in all, I spent $60 for the three pairs instead of over $120, but was it worth the trouble? All because I’m a thicker girl who absolutely detests legging-like-jeans?
Talk about annoying.
It’s time for a change. Designers love catering to the “average” woman, but, yet, the most missing sizes in the stores I go to are similar to my size. How is a 00 “average”? Even saying a 4 is average is pushing it, to me. Sure, some girls are thinner than others – I mean, I have two close friends that can only buy their work pants from JCPenney because of how slim their bodies are (yes, they’re sisters). But, why is it so difficult for clothing companies to make these things available for us?
And don’t come at me with the “Well, in Europe, they like their models to be larger women,” because that’s a load of ruckus. Ever wonder why Cotton On (even though they’re based in Australia) uses a different sizing chart, and you end up wearing a larger size than you thought you were in that store? It’s because different areas size differently.
Duh.
And don’t say, “Well, companies go with what people are buying.” Sooooo what you’re saying is companies overstock on sizes 00 – 4 and that’s why there’s so many available when my size 14 jeans are the least common?
I don’t think so. Especially when the women rummaging through the piles of jeans are asking me if I’ve found any of the same size I’m looking for, too.
If we can change the minds of the designers, then maybe one day I’ll be able to find the jeans I like instead of having to settle for less. If we can change the minds of the designers, then maybe I won’t have to be one of the many that paw through jeans. If we can change the minds of the designers, then maybe one day I won’t have to move to a separate section of a store, making me feel segregated from the rest of the world.
It starts with the designers.
Oh, and side note: this whole great thing about ModCloth getting rid of their plus-sized section? Yeah, they just renamed it: “Extended Sizes.” That’s not change, folks. When the size isn’t listed in the dropdown menu of the regular shirts, it’s still not integrated sizing. Nice try, though.
A screenshot of ModCloth’s “Extended Sizes” section.