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Thursday 4 October 2012

What IS Plussize?

I caught snippets of a conversation on twitter on Sunday, debating on what is classed as "plussize".

I don't know the purpose of this discussion, whether it was started out of interest, or some other purpose, but I do know that there is no definitive answer. 

How do you class plussize?

Someone who is sized out of the highstreet?

Someone who is sized out of Top Shop? River Island? Zara?

Or someone who is sized out of mainstream fashion? 

Or it is anyone larger than a size 0?

I'll be honest, I have the plussize community a welcoming one. An inclusive, not exclusive community.

To me, plussize is something everyone can identify with. Everyone seems to have a 'fat day' or 3. Or be on some fad regime or other.

Plussize companies like Evans (start at a size 14), Yours Clothing (start at a 14) and Simply Be (start at a 12) seem to have set a rough marker as to where they think the plussize market starts from. 

Clothing at Tesco's 'True' range begins at a 16, so are pegging the market a little larger.

But what does this mean?

It means us women are in it together. That size 16 lass in SimplyBe clothing might envy your confidence, or your style. We need to be inclusive, and perhaps do away with the terms plussize, and us plussize fashion bloggers can blog along side the mainstream bloggers, rather than being a separate hashtag (psbloggers). 

That is of course a pipe dream, and instead we're being provided with our own Fashion Week. 

What I want though, is to be included with the mainstream fashion week. We're not contagious, you can't catch fat from us. But you might learn soemthing from us. Or, heaven forbid, be inspired by us.

Much love my lovelies,

K x

6 comments:

  1. Excellent post! I don't think plussize women will ever be in mainstream fashion week, other than as a novelty idea and even then these models are either size 12 or 14. Which don't get me wrong anything above a size zero is a bonus. But it's not a role model for those women who are bigger than size 12 or 14. And designers, design for skinny size zero because if they put size 16 models on the runway, the people who go to the shows probably won't want to look like that size 16 model they want to see size zero model and think if they buy that dress or whatever they will look as good in it as the model!! I really fo think for FW designers it comes down to what makes money and bugger the equality!
    Until the media and society stop seeing being anything other skinny to be a bad thing nothing will change.

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  2. I love this. I totally agree with you, that plus size women should be parading down a catwalk as much as a stick thin size 0.

    I'll be honest now. I'm jealous of plus size women. They ooze confidence and can pull off some amazing dresses with their head held high knowing they look great. As a size 6-8, some people would give anything to be my size. But I feel awkward in most of what I wear. I have no curves, no boobs and no booty! I eat like you wouldn't believe so it's not through lack of trying.

    I find plus size women an inspiration and feel they should dominate the magazines, catwalks and fashions, not the size 0's to whom young girls are striving to be like, thus making themselves physically and mentally ill.

    Sorry for the rant

    N x

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  3. such a well written piece. I find the defintion of what is plus size an endlessly fascinating one to me, given its a ter that has been in my life for a very long time. I feel like to properly answer and give my thoughts on the subject it would require a post all of its own, but in short I think it is actually the woman that sets the marker. My sister for instance would never ever consider herself plus size, yet by most of the manufacturers definitions she would be. Likewise a friend I know would resist labelling herself similarly too. But I wonder if it in fact boils down to whether you've always been larger than the so-called average as to how you see yourself...I've always been larger, and I know if by some fluke I ended up a size zero, I'd still consider myself plus size then. Maybe the term plus size actually is more a definition of how the woman on the inside views herself...baring the scars of a painful past of coming to terms with the way society views them, out of which is borne a steel like confidence that can only come from truly being at peace with exactly who you are. Definitely a post that is food for thought. Bravo, lady.

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  4. I loved reading this post and the comments.
    It was so refreshing to read Nicolas comment too, from the other side. I would hate to be as small as a size 6-8 for the exact reasons she mentioned. I love having boobs! And my other half loves my boots and having something to grab hold of!
    I do think its wrong when companies that advertise themselves as plus size start as small as size 12/14 because to me, that is not plus size at all. New Look starts at a size 18 which is better but I still wouldn't class an 18 as plus size but that's just me..

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