Plus size: it’s a phrase us women have all heard before. We see it every time we decide to go shopping. If you’re like me, you’ve definitely shopped there before. The nomenclature has become so ingrained into our brains, we don’t even notice it any more. So ingrained that we don’t notice how clothing stores have separate its product by whether or not it is plus size.
Separating clothes by body type overtly continues a cycle of internal misogyny and pitting women against each other. The separation of clothes physically separates women when they shop, both online and in-store. Making clothes to fit different body types makes sense; however, deeming clothes “plus size” is archaic and inherently problematic. In addition, most stores that advertise plus size clothing are incredibly misleading with most “sections” really only making up an incredibly small portion of the store. Not only is the selection small, it usually is very poor and very different from the mainstream fashion of the rest of the store.
Coming from a woman who is dubbed “plus-size” by fashion standards, I can personally attest to the humiliation and degradation I feel every time I have to separate from my skinnier friends to shop for clothes. The even bigger embarrassment when they follow me and stand there as I shop. The support and intent is there really, but it doesn’t make it any less demeaning. Making women separate to shop for clothing forces an invisible wedge between us, one that promotes an incredibly damaging internal monologue of shame over the differences that make us who we are.
For a long time, clothing was personalized by either a tailor or being hand-made. It was not until the start of the Roaring Twenties after the rise of industrialization and urbanization that clothing began to be sized more broadly and generally. Women of the time who did not fit into the slender style of mainstream fashion were deemed “stout”. It is no coincidence that the main leader of plus size fashion is the originator of the label. Lane Bryant first used the term in a 1929 advertisement for “Misses Plus”. Over time the term has evolved from a term that not only classifies clothing, but somehow labels women as well. The idea that women can have the same label as clothing type completely baffles me.
The fashion industry has manipulated women for decades due to its mass influence. The separation has become so normalized in today’s culture that many do not recognize how problematic the term is. While the industry is moving forward in its inclusion of bigger models such as Ashley Graham or Tess Holiday, the problem still remains in their labeling. When two models of vastly varying sizes can be lumped together under one category, a huge discrepancy in the expression plus size becomes incredibly highlighted.
Not only is the term outdated and old-fashioned, the phrase is far too vague to carry any real weight or meaning. According to fashion model Stefania Ferrero, any model like her above a size 4 is considered plus-size. The average American woman is a size 14. If an average woman is a size 14 and a size 4 model is considered plus size, what kind of message is being sent to young girls every single day? It is a message that feeds off of self-doubt and shame, further cemented by the segregation and internal misogyny of women’s clothing. The idea that most women are plus sized instead of average or normal is extremely harmful to women of all ages. This in coordination with the media’s incessant showcasing of super slender bodies as the normal standard of beauty is devastating to a woman’s sense of worth and beauty.
Self-esteem is an incredibly fragile part to a woman’s identity, and it begins to form at a very young age. It is influenced by a myriad of factors: peers, media, etc. For far too long have women been standardized into competition with one another. As women we all share a similar story, a similar struggle. There is no greater hardship, or greater joy, of being a woman. For hell’s sake, we literally bring life into the world. We need to stop putting so much emphasis and worth to the number on our clothes, and realize that all women’s bodies are wonderful and beautiful in their own way. Instead of shaming women for their sizes by having them shop in separate sections of the store, or even different stores altogether, it’s time to make clothes that range to bigger sizes. The vast difference and ultimate separation of clothing is completely ridiculous and I’m ready for the change.Plus size: it’s a phrase us women have all heard before. We see it every time we decide to go shopping. If you’re like me, you’ve definitely shopped there before. The nomenclature has become so ingrained into our brains, we don’t even notice it any more. So ingrained that we don’t notice how clothing stores have separate its product by whether or not it is plus size.
