Struggling With Size
In middle school and high school, I was on the heavier side. Although my weight got me the role of Augustus Gloop’s mom in my middle school production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, there were many times when I felt left out. Every day after school in seventh grade, my dad and I would go jogging together in the park. I remember always feeling like people were staring at me — like I was doing something wrong. So in high school, I stopped running. I began to gain more weight, and shopping became harder. Marshalls and JCPenny were the only stores where I could find clothes that fit properly. I would spend hours in a Forever 21, and would only find two shirts and maybe a skirt that would fit me.
In an article by Dion Lee, Vox Video Producer, called “Why women’s clothing sizes don’t make sense,” Lee discusses how bizarre the American sizing industry is. Remember when everyone went crazy over how Marilyn Monroe was a size 12? It turns out her 1950s size 12 is actually a modern day size 4.
This inconsistency with sizing is very common. Laura Sturm, an Ithaca College sophomore speech-language pathology major, told me that she’s seen how one pair of skinny jeans can be marked as different sizes at different stores. And it’s true! I own a small skirt from Hollister Co. that’s about one size bigger than my small skirt from Forever 21. Even though sizes may vary at different stores, it’s important to note that most stores have only catered to their version of a petite figure.
When I began to get into shape again, I was around a size 12, which my doctor considered healthy. But I still encountered the same difficulties in finding clothes. At this time, I was somewhat aware of plus-size options, but I felt embarrassed to have to shop in a different section or go online for clothes I didn’t even want to spend that much money on.
Jess Ross, lecturer in the Department of Psychology and teacher of the course “Psychology of Women,” opened up about how plus-size fashion represents how we see heavier women in the U.S. She said it’s often assumed that bigger women are inactive and have no discipline, which might be the reason why companies don’t put much effort into the style of plus-size clothes.
Style options for plus-size clothes are often limited to bright colors and floral designs, and the clothes are mainly made for women rather than young adults. Lima Hossain, a senior economics and mathematics major, said she tries to incorporate pieces of her South Asian identity into what she wears. Hossain said that she was proud of her Bangladeshi background, and she could apply different styles to her everyday clothing. I find it empowering to have that kind of control in what you wear, but the limited availability of plus-size clothing in boutiques and limited stylistic options makes it hard to add uniqueness to your wardrobe.
You might remember a BuzzFeed video, “One Size Fits All,” of Kristin Chirico and Sheridan Watson trying on different plus-size clothing from various stores. Most of the clothes fit nothing like they did on the model. The styles were too flowery, the clothes were too tight or too baggy in certain areas, and Chirico even said, “I feel like this dress is just trying to bully me into buying Spanx. It’s being all like, ‘That’s a real nice body you’ve got there. It’d be a shame if we made it look like a misshapen eggplant.’” Of course, there were a couple outfits that looked nice, but the clothing that looked the best was the most expensive. This exclusivity means that high quality plus-size fashion is only available to those who can afford it.
Tony Posnanski, writer for the Huffington Post, questioned the practice of making plus-size clothing more expensive in his article, “Is There a ‘Fat Tax’ on Plus Size Clothing?” He asks, “Why is there not a price difference in the small to extra large shirts? They clearly use more material. Yet they are the same price. The 2XL shirt is two dollars more. It should be the same price if no other price changes between the sizes. I realized that they do raise the prices because they can.” The price was always a major reason why I continued to shop in the regular section, just hoping a large would somehow fit.
Ross further explained to me how damaging it is not to see your size represented in fashion. She said lack of representation encourages the idea that a woman’s self-worth is determined by what size she wears.
Elsa Orozco, a senior communications, management and design major, said she has had negative experiences with her friends preferring to shop at stores that mark clothes on the small side. Even though Elsa was very petite, she still had trouble fitting in clothes from these stores that were marketed as petite — the clothes were too baggy or tight in certain areas. Orozco said, “This store makes you feel good because it says petite, but what about me?”
All of the women I interviewed told me they were looking for clothes that were affordable, comfortable and showcased their sense of fashion. Ginia Bellafante’s, who wrote “Plus Size Wars” for the New York Times, conducted interviews with fashion icons such as Marina Rinaldi and Kathleen Fasanella regarding the injustice in plus-size fashion. Fasanella said, “We know pretty well what a size 6 woman will look like if she edges up to a 10; her bustline might increase an inch. … But if a woman goes from a size 16 to a 20, you can’t just say with any certainty how her dimensions will change.”
Maybe it’s time we start accounting for all the different curves and cuts that are needed for each fabulous body type.
Illustration by Courtney Yule
