When shopping, online or in-store, there is only a handful of sections I graze over. First, are the shoes and accessories, because you can never have enough. Most accessories also come in a "one size fits most" kind of fashion, and I surprisingly fit under the "most" category more times than I first thought possible.
Then there are a couple sections I steer away from, knowing I won't find anything within the racks that will a.) actually catch my eye, or b.) fit me. These are the men's, the children's, and the women's sections.
Now I know what you might be thinking, "But Isa, you ARE a woman! Why don't you shop there?" Well, my dear friends, that's because rather than placing clothing that will fit me into the racks with the other sizes, many clothing stores have created a separate section just for myself, and all the other women with similar body types: Plus Size.
Do you know how many shopping trips I've been on with friends where they've held something up and said, "This would look so cute on you!" Yes, it would! If it was double the size. I appreciate the effort, but sometimes my friends forget I'm not simply a size up from them. They can't relate to the feeling of drifting off alone to look at clothes that would actually fit.
Don't get me wrong, I love having everything that fits me in one handy-dandy section, but I can't help but feel a hint of hurt passing through all the racks my friends stop at and going to the far back of the store to look through the clothes by myself.
There are a few stores that have explored the world of plus size fashion, such as Deb Shops, Forever 21, and LoveSick. However, stores such as Deb and LoveSick had a hard time rising up in popularity, both stores closing due to "branding issues." Hell, even Target is on the rise as having fashion-forward, affordable plus sized clothing. Not to mention they set aside half the women's section for it.
I'm not saying it's hard to find clothes in my size, but it used to be hard to find cute clothes, clothes that made me feel confident. Deb is back, with a style similar to Forever21's. Now, the issue is that I usually can't shop with my friends because our sizes are in completely different areas of the same store.
Plus size women are no different than women ranging in the standard sizes of small to large, and yet we are set aside to our own section, like shoes or accessories. I'm tired of feeling belittled by stores that support body positivity, yet won't place clothing in my size on the same racks as sizes XS - L.
Also, have you ever seen a men's plus size section in a retail store? No. And if men aren't grouped by their size difference in clothing stores, why the hell are we? Women are women, and we are all beautiful and resilient. Until we can all shop from the same section in retail stores, we will never truly have body acceptance in our society.
