Okay, let’s first start off with the fashion industry saying a size 8 is “plus size.”
I think the first time I heard this was when I was watching America’s Next Top Model marathon on VH1. In season 10, we see this FAB-U-LOUS girl Whitney Thompson hitting the mark every episode, but they don’t think she’s “right” because she’s a size 8 (“plus size”). Like WTF? I can’t even remember the last time I was a size 8.
I keep hearing this statistic thrown around that says the average American woman is a size 14. I don’t know where they got this statistic or who came up with, but according to this New York Times article, it is true. “...even the women who came in on the small side in the SizeUSA survey look more like what the longtime clothing industry standards would consider a size 14 -- the size at which ‘plus size’ clothing begins.”
When the average pants size is 14, why don’t more store accommodate that? The Huffington Post made this chart of some stores and what size they sell online and in-store. It’s very interesting.
Being plus-size for majority of my life, I’ve grown accustomed to buy my clothes online. It’s also super annoying. Sometimes I need to buy one pair of jeans in two different sizes, then ship the one that doesn’t fit back and waste money in shipping. Or I have to measure my chest and waist to make sure the size I buy is correct. Then I have the issue of it being too big in the chest and perfect in the belly, or the opposite. Anyway, it sucks.
The point of this post is that the media and the fashion industry make it hard for almost anyone that has a little chunk on them. If you’re 5’4” and weigh about 140 lbs, you’d be around a size 8. According to BMI charts, that’s a healthy weight for someone of that size.... so why does the media and fashion industry consider it plus size?
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