I've been a curvy girl my entire life. From the time I was old enough to shop on my own, I had realized that I was going to have a struggle when it came to my thighs, shoulders. hips and chest. I had to shop in my own section, the "plus size" section. But I have never minded that. Recently, companies have decided to stop including the letter "X" in their clothes, for fear of inducing body issues in young girls. This is a great concept, but we are by no means just like all of the other girls just yet.

I am more than used to finding a cute top online, seeing that it is on sale for 9.99, and then sighing in frustration as I realize that a 3x is 13.99. Does the frustration ever end?

Many call it a "fat tax." It's supposedly justified by the fact that companies need to make some extra money for the use of extra fabric, but I am not buying it.

Only, I am. On average, I have personally found that I will spend anywhere from four to ten dollars more on a single clothing item.

For example, check out the price difference between an x-large and xx-large raincoat at Hot Topic:

There is a five dollar jump in price for the exact same jacket!

To me, it feels like a punishment for gaining weight, or being born with larger features. It is heartbreaking to go to the store only to find that your total will end up being almost twice as high as your size medium best friend.

It's time for the ladies of the plus size community to stand up against this. Many have tried, but have been given foolish answers from companies. Old Navy has stated that there are internal factors that make plus clothing more expensive. Being a woman who has tried on both plus and x-large sized pants, there isn't much difference. So what gives?

It's time for clothing companies to realize that we are not just big girls, we are a big market. I don't mind an x on my clothing tag, but I do mind an extra ten dollars out of my wallet.