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I like to say I am a fashionable person. I like to wear nice clothes, and I generally have a good time putting together an outfit. The process of picking out accessories is fun.
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I am also fat — that is simply a fact of life. Admittedly, I am not very fat, and I do not always face the struggles of finding clothing that those larger than me do. However, that’s not to say I have an easy time of it. I started to cry when four out of the five prom dress shops I went to didn’t even carry a single dress in my size.
As TikTok spreads trends across the internet, many clothing brands struggle to keep up. However, plus-sized clothing companies haven’t been able to keep up with trends since the 2010s. A lot of plus-sized clothing that is affordable is cardigans, cold shoulders and florals. These things haven’t been fashionable for a while.
“I want to wear cute clothes, and I want to wear trendy clothes. I should be able to do both of these things. I deserve to do both of these things. But in the eyes of the fashion industry, I have committed the unforgivable crime of being fat.”
One of the most popular plus-size clothing brands is Torrid. On occasion, Torrid has some cute things. I have a sundress from there that I love. Torrid also tends to be on the pricier end of things.
More often, Torrid is not cute. They have a lot of button-ups, and most of their blouses are florals. A lot of those blouses have a weird elastic waistline, which makes it impossible to tuck those blouses in. There are a lot of peplum tops with puffy sleeves, similar to what you would find at Old Navy four years ago — I would know; I loved those shirts.
However, Torrid was specifically made to only carry plus-size clothes for plus-sized people. Let’s talk about a brand made for straight-sized clothes that has expanded to have plus-sized options.
Before we get into this, I need to lay out the difference between straight-sized and plus-sized clothing. Straight sizing is what we see in most clothing stores: 00-20 or XS-XXL. No matter how many X’s are added to that XL, it will continue to be straight-sized. Plus sizing is designed differently than straight sizing and takes the form of 0X, 1X, 2X and so on and so forth.
The distinction comes down to how the fabric is cut because, in straight sizing, as the size of the clothing increases, so does the height. Plus-sizing doesn’t do this, at least not to the same extent, and it is noticeable.
Lululemon is a brand that has a plus-sized section on their online store. However, when I pull up their sizing, it is straight-sized. Not only that, it only goes up to size 20. For reference, a typical size 20 is only a 40-inch waist.
On top of that, most of the clothing in these plus sizes are sold out online, and they are not sold in store. So even if they weren’t sold out and I decided I liked something, I would have to put full trust into the idea that these clothes might fit me.
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The final issue I have with Lululemon’s plus-sized section is that not a single model is actually wearing the plus-sized clothes. It is all skinny women modeling clothes that are advertised to be able to fit me.
I want to wear cute clothes, and I want to wear trendy clothes. I should be able to do both of these things. I deserve to do both of these things. But in the eyes of the fashion industry, I have committed the unforgivable crime of being fat.
I am happy in my body. I do not want to change my body. I should not have to change my body to wear something fashionable. I deserve cute clothes, too.
Reach Audrey Weishaar at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
