Every once in a while I’ll have a bizarre fantasy of what it’s like being thin. During my dieting days, I had this fantasy frequently. I would show off my thin and beautiful bod to the people who made fun of me. They would look at me with their mouths agape and beg to be my friend. I would laugh and shrug them off.
I don't have this fantasy as much because I accept that I'm fat and I no longer care what people think of me. I don’t want to be thin, except maybe while clothes shopping. With the exception of the Big Fat Flea and some of the plus size stores like Torrid and Lane Bryant, I find clothes shopping a level of hell. With an apple belly, large boobs and a rectangle side. I imagine what it would be like to walk into any store and have an abundant selection of what I need. Even stores that carry plus sizes often have such a small selection that I find nothing.
Mike Jeffries of Abercrombie and Fitch wasn't thinking about the future in 2006 when he said A&F was only for the cool kids (i.e. no fatties). He wasn't thinking there'd be a giant fucking recession and apparently retail clothing isn't as quite as niche a market as an exclusive night club. They find their niche has other crappy clothing stores to go too. Ones that have cheaper prices, aren’t run by assholes, and sell clothes that fit them.
"Students are looking for better prices," (Doreen) Burdalski says. "They may realize the quality of clothing isn't as good, but it serves their purpose for now. I think the price point is too high, they've been struggling since 2008. People are experiencing that crunch, college students included."
A&F has been suffering declining sales and have now realized that maybe they do need to actually sell some clothes to more than five people. They will be offering plus size clothes to women. I'm not sure what size they will go to. If they go to 2x I can possibly fit into their clothes.
But still I won't shop there. You see Old Navy, H&M, and Forever 21 all carry plus sizes but yet I don't step foot in them because I know I am but a token to them. Two-third of the US populatio are considered fat but you wouldn’t know it even from the stores that sell plus sizes. I won't find the same sizes, styles, selection as a thin person would. And unlike Torrid, Lane Bryant and the Big Fat Flea, I wouldn’t feel like a human being shopping in these stores. One time I went into the plus size boutique Lee Lee’s Valise, told the sales girl I need something for someone that has no waist and walked out with a kick ass dress.
I often state on my blog to never buy anything from a store that doesn’t carry plus sizes. My thin fantasy would end with the realization that no store that carried fat and thin sizes has ever been good to me. If I were thin I would have no where to shop.
I will continue to not buy A&F and laugh when they go under. I look forward to the same thing happening to Lululemon.
agree, agree. i find it very hard to find clothing at my size... to be honest, i had more luck in Canada (where i used to live) than in the UK, which surprises me. i am living in a very fashionable and large UK city, yet i can't get the variety of clothing that i got in Podunk, Canuckistan. and we have the same rates of overweight and obesity!!!
Posted by: youkayn00b | November 22, 2013 at 01:36 PM
Oh I pray DAILY that lululemon go down the gurgler, I can't WAIT until that happens.
Posted by: Kath | November 23, 2013 at 07:42 PM