Let me start this out by saying one simple fact: I am fat. Before the argument starts, I do not believe fat is a bad word. It is an adjective to describe how I look the same as how people describe others as skinny. Fat has been made to be a bad word by society, not me. I am happy with the way I look. Sure, there are some days that I wish my legs weren't rubbing together under my dress or that my arms didn't jiggle so much. But everyone, no matter the size, has a day or two when they are not happy with themselves. But for me, most of these days happen when I go shopping. While shopping is something that I love, the fact that I am plus size makes it something I dread. It is time for companies to start treating plus size people like lesser humans.
1. First of all, stop putting us in a different section.
Like most people, I like to go shopping with my friends. But that's kinda hard to do when all the clothes my size are pushed to the very back corner of the store. One of my absolute favorite places to shop is Target. They have stylish clothes that are super affordable. That is, they have super cute clothes for the skinny girls. For me, I am somewhere around an XXL all the way up to a 3x at target. This means that if I'm lucky, one of the five shirts I get from the regular section will fit me. But to get clothes in a larger size, I have to go to the back of the store in between the sales rack and the maternity section. Nothing is more humiliating than having to go to the back of the store just to find something that fits me. And this isn't the only place it happens. I have the same problem at other stores such as H&M and Forever 21. I simply do not understand why plus size sections have to be hidden in the back as if the store is ashamed to carry such products.
2. Please, I beg you, let me wear something other than a potato sack.
Yes, I get it. I'm a bigger girl. But that does not mean all fashion styles go flying out the window. Recently, I went to H&M and saw the cutest romper. Now I already have one romper from another store and absolutely love how it looks on me. When I went to find my size, I was sad to see that it only went up to a large. Instead of being sad, I decided to look at the plus size section to see if they had anything similar to it. What I found was a disappointment to say the least. There were 3 or 4 racks of clothes total in a store the size of Wal-Mart. Half were sweaters on sale from winter. The other half were solid tees, boring clothes, and nothing in fashion at all. Now I live in Huntsville, Alabama which is a pretty decent sized city. It is definitely large enough to have a plus size section bigger than 4 racks. And I feel like every store I go to, the selection is just smaller and even less fashionable than the last. One of the reasons I am so confident with my body, is because I know how to dress myself. But when bigger girls are given no options, it is hard to feel confident. I'm not saying you should praise me for getting the large fry instead of the small. I'm just asking that you don't punish me for it by taking away all decent clothing choices.
3. I know I'm bigger, but there is no way the fabric cost that much.
I am aware that it takes more fabric to cover all of my rolls, but that does not mean you need to charge me 2 or 3 times as much. It's summer, so I have been going bathing suit shopping. This is already a struggle because no matter how confident I am, a bathing suit shows everything I have fears and doubts about. So I was out shopping and found a few suits I liked in the regular section, but none that fit me quite right. Keep in mind that these swimsuits ranged in the $20s. When I decided to venture into no mans land and look at the plus size swimsuits, I was truly embarrassed. All of the swimsuits had as much extra fabric as possible and were absolutely hideous. To top that, they cost at the cheapest, $40. The same happens with most plus size clothing. I get half the style for twice the price. I simply do not have the money to buy such expensive clothing and really don't want to when the same store is selling tops for $3 in the regular section. I am willing to accept that it does take more fabric to cover me. I am not willing to accept that stores use it to their advantage and charge whatever they want.
I know that there is a better way to treat bigger girls. Stores make it out to be the hardest thing ever, but it simply isn't. My favorite place to shop is Old Navy. They offer clothes that fit me right along with all of my skinny friends. It is nice to have a place where I do not feel embarrassed because of my size. Sure, some things don't look right on me, but some things that look great on me don't look right on my friends. Again, I do not ask the world to approve of me being fat. I just ask that I am still treated as a human of value. Instead of putting me in the back with overpriced, ugly clothes, just put all the "women's clothes" in one spot. Being big does not make me any less of a woman, so stop acting like it does.
