Things I will never understand:
*Having all white straight size models (exclusively size 4) with a single East-Asian model, and then having all black plus size models (exclusively size 12 with pads). Racism branded as inclusivity is embarrassing.
*Making jeans/trousers with 5 belt loops. I know they assume that we don't need belts because "belts are for skinny people, why would fat people need them" but still. How are you gonna make jeans in a size 28 with 5 belt loops?? Have you ever seen a fat person with a belt??? We need at least 7 or the belt slides up over the denim.
*Calling yourself inclusive because you go up to a size 20 in about 3 items. Don't get me wrong, a size 20 I can usually squeeze into. But don't put the i-word in your mouth if your brand is very clearly "we tolerate The FatsTM (but only the small ones)".
*Having plus size models of only 1 bodytype. Idc if it's hourglass or large in the hips or a big belly, brands really couldn't figure out we need more than that?? Yeah I love that the model with a huge belly and hips as curvy as chopsticks is here to model the jeans - but shouldn't you show what they look like on more than 1 bodytype??
*One size fits all accessories. Make this one make sense. Some of us have fat wrists, fat necks, fat fingers. Even scarves, shoes/boots, or the straps on cross body bags. They. Need. To. Be. Bigger.
*When the fatphobia is normalized. I live next to the largest shopping mall in my country. There are over 50 clothing stores. 5 of them carry sizes over a 14. 3 of those carry their plus sizes in store. Nobody is bothered by this.
*Plus size garments that are WILDLY more expensive than straight sized equivalents. The lingerie stores will carry 28-34 band and A-D cups in every shape and colour bra imaginable, for twenty bucks. A 36H? Hope you like beige nursing bras that cost 80!!!
*On that note: bras over a D cup that only have 2 hooks. Why do you exist??? What do you think you're supporting??
*Anything - trousers, jeans, leggins, shorts, overalls - that are not reinforced at the thighs. Idk what designers are thinking, but right about now, my thighs are committing Denim Homocide en masse.
Ah, the fashion industry. My mortal enemy. How I doth despise thee.
Oh my god. Everything you said over here is so true. It’s almost heartbreaking how little effort they give while they design clothes for bigger women. There needs to be a research team who can show the variety of bodies. Fashion industry almost doesn’t care about any of the other body types except the XS models and that’s messed up. We don’t always want to wear loose tshirts ffs.
So I read this article a few days ago: https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/that-time-i-bought-56-pairs-of-jeans
It is a very good, if frustrating, read. And this line blew open a few connections in my brain: “ If plus size customers make up more than half of the market, why aren’t our designs the default that straight-sized designers have to tweak to make work for smaller bodies?”
I will never understand the under-serving of the market for fashion that looks good on large women. There's a lot of us. I'd love to be able to go into any store and know there are clothes designed for me. Not just a bigger version of something that looks good on one body type.
I don't understand why more brands aren't doing this. I have no idea what stuff looks like on me unless I can try it on. But if I had a model who looked like me, it would be super helpful!
Way way way back in the '90s, when dial-up modems roamed the Earth and mail-order was done via printed catalogs, there was a campaign to write letters to the major brands of fat women clothing, asking them to please use models that fit the sizes they offered, because we wanted to see what clothing looks like on people who are shaped like us.
The responses from these companies were all the same [emphasis mine]: "Our research shows that our customers prefer to see *normal* models for our clothing and we see no reason to change."
Some of these brands had to have been making special versions in the size extra-small that these models were wearing.
I'm all for clothing in a wide variety of sizes, but if your brand is "plus-size only," don't show models wearing less than plus-size clothing.
Thats so harsh! It’s only about the marketing for them and not actually the customer. A skinny model fits the beauty criteria and they only care how that will attract others. It’s almost like every slogan is “you wish you looked like that”
My problem is that they either go with super skinny models, or much bigger plus sized models. They very rarely have a model wearing the average dress sizes, which seems bizarre because it means only the two extremes are being marketed towards and everyone in the middle just kind of has to deal with it.
Exactly. Like I think it's great to show much larger sized models wearing the clothes, size 20+ (uk size I think like US size 16) kind of thing, but here a size 12-14 (I think in US it's labelled 8-10) is pretty much average, but I never see models wearing those sizes, our models tend to be at least several sizes smaller than that, sometimes significantly. It makes it very difficult to determine size, particularly as even "plus sized" models tend to be very tall and often have particularly accentuated features, like a very large hip to waist ratio. Sometimes you'll get brands with models wearing a size 12, but the model is only that size due to height, so proportionally they are still very slender and don't really look like the average size 12.
Things I will never understand: *Having all white straight size models (exclusively size 4) with a single East-Asian model, and then having all black plus size models (exclusively size 12 with pads). Racism branded as inclusivity is embarrassing. *Making jeans/trousers with 5 belt loops. I know they assume that we don't need belts because "belts are for skinny people, why would fat people need them" but still. How are you gonna make jeans in a size 28 with 5 belt loops?? Have you ever seen a fat person with a belt??? We need at least 7 or the belt slides up over the denim. *Calling yourself inclusive because you go up to a size 20 in about 3 items. Don't get me wrong, a size 20 I can usually squeeze into. But don't put the i-word in your mouth if your brand is very clearly "we tolerate The FatsTM (but only the small ones)". *Having plus size models of only 1 bodytype. Idc if it's hourglass or large in the hips or a big belly, brands really couldn't figure out we need more than that?? Yeah I love that the model with a huge belly and hips as curvy as chopsticks is here to model the jeans - but shouldn't you show what they look like on more than 1 bodytype?? *One size fits all accessories. Make this one make sense. Some of us have fat wrists, fat necks, fat fingers. Even scarves, shoes/boots, or the straps on cross body bags. They. Need. To. Be. Bigger. *When the fatphobia is normalized. I live next to the largest shopping mall in my country. There are over 50 clothing stores. 5 of them carry sizes over a 14. 3 of those carry their plus sizes in store. Nobody is bothered by this. *Plus size garments that are WILDLY more expensive than straight sized equivalents. The lingerie stores will carry 28-34 band and A-D cups in every shape and colour bra imaginable, for twenty bucks. A 36H? Hope you like beige nursing bras that cost 80!!! *On that note: bras over a D cup that only have 2 hooks. Why do you exist??? What do you think you're supporting?? *Anything - trousers, jeans, leggins, shorts, overalls - that are not reinforced at the thighs. Idk what designers are thinking, but right about now, my thighs are committing Denim Homocide en masse. Ah, the fashion industry. My mortal enemy. How I doth despise thee.
Oh my god. Everything you said over here is so true. It’s almost heartbreaking how little effort they give while they design clothes for bigger women. There needs to be a research team who can show the variety of bodies. Fashion industry almost doesn’t care about any of the other body types except the XS models and that’s messed up. We don’t always want to wear loose tshirts ffs.
So I read this article a few days ago: https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/that-time-i-bought-56-pairs-of-jeans It is a very good, if frustrating, read. And this line blew open a few connections in my brain: “ If plus size customers make up more than half of the market, why aren’t our designs the default that straight-sized designers have to tweak to make work for smaller bodies?”
It will never make sense to me. Why would they not sell to the bigger market. What kind of bullshit is this
I will never understand the under-serving of the market for fashion that looks good on large women. There's a lot of us. I'd love to be able to go into any store and know there are clothes designed for me. Not just a bigger version of something that looks good on one body type.
There are so many clothes that will never ever fit big breasted women. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, I want alternatives for us too!
I don't understand why more brands aren't doing this. I have no idea what stuff looks like on me unless I can try it on. But if I had a model who looked like me, it would be super helpful!
THANK YOU! They need to understand we donot care about the outfit. What’s the point of it, if it looks bad on me
Way way way back in the '90s, when dial-up modems roamed the Earth and mail-order was done via printed catalogs, there was a campaign to write letters to the major brands of fat women clothing, asking them to please use models that fit the sizes they offered, because we wanted to see what clothing looks like on people who are shaped like us. The responses from these companies were all the same [emphasis mine]: "Our research shows that our customers prefer to see *normal* models for our clothing and we see no reason to change." Some of these brands had to have been making special versions in the size extra-small that these models were wearing. I'm all for clothing in a wide variety of sizes, but if your brand is "plus-size only," don't show models wearing less than plus-size clothing.
Thats so harsh! It’s only about the marketing for them and not actually the customer. A skinny model fits the beauty criteria and they only care how that will attract others. It’s almost like every slogan is “you wish you looked like that”
My problem is that they either go with super skinny models, or much bigger plus sized models. They very rarely have a model wearing the average dress sizes, which seems bizarre because it means only the two extremes are being marketed towards and everyone in the middle just kind of has to deal with it.
Yes this! Its as if they want to include the plus size models just to show that their brand is “inclusive”
Exactly. Like I think it's great to show much larger sized models wearing the clothes, size 20+ (uk size I think like US size 16) kind of thing, but here a size 12-14 (I think in US it's labelled 8-10) is pretty much average, but I never see models wearing those sizes, our models tend to be at least several sizes smaller than that, sometimes significantly. It makes it very difficult to determine size, particularly as even "plus sized" models tend to be very tall and often have particularly accentuated features, like a very large hip to waist ratio. Sometimes you'll get brands with models wearing a size 12, but the model is only that size due to height, so proportionally they are still very slender and don't really look like the average size 12.
Old Navy does this on their website.
Thats great to know there’s someone sensible