The inconsistent, contradictory ramblings of Scarlett the Harlot

"I've always thought Marilyn Monroe looked fabulous, but I'd kill myself if I was that fat."--Elizabeth Hurley

Dear Fashion Industry--

Fuck. You.

It wasn't enough that you had to set a completely unattainable beauty ideal--seriously, how is having the body of a ten-year-old-boy sexy?!--but now that you think you've got to spend a little extra money you're going to stop making "plus sized" clothing altogether? You've got to be kidding me. So what're we supposed to do? Walk around wearing potato sacks? 

Listen, I get that there's a recession going on and things are expensive but take a minute to think about what you're saying when you've got the nerve to imply larger sized clothes cost more money because it takes more "yardage". Big girls aren't that big. Even those of us that are morbidly obese don't have to actually wear a circus tent. So things cost more money, why not add a few extra dollars to the price tag? Trust me when I tell you, we buy clothes. We have to. Public nudity's a crime. Especially for us apparently.

I don't think you realize what a chore it is to shop when you're not a regular size. It's not just the public humiliation of the dressing room, though there is that. It's having to dig through racks and racks of size 2's and under to find one article of clothing in my size. It's the annoyance at realizing the "plus size" section is actually also the maternity section. It's buying maternity clothes because they're actually more fashionable than "plus sized" clothes--what the hell is that Target? women who are only temporarily fat get to look cute, but those of us who are actually fat have to dress like somebody's grandmother?--it's knowing that even if we go to stores that are specifically for women that are our size we're going to have to pay $40 for a tee shirt when skinny girls can get the same tee shirt (only better made and better looking) for less than half the price at a pricey boutique.

And let's talk about "plus sized" fashion.

I sew. I know how to make my own clothes. And I know what looks good on my body type. So how come people that have a degree in drape seem to think the only way to make a full-figured body look good is with an empire waist? That doesn't look good on everybody and frankly, I don't like every single article of clothing in my closet being a "wraparound". It makes me feel like they don't make buttons big enough for me. And then there's the ruching, those little built in ruffles are only flattering for so long. And the dresses and shirts with the sewn in parts for the boobs. Lookit--I know where my boobs go, I don't need a cloth diagram. And frankly, sometimes my boobs are too big for those little cut outs. Do you know how tacky it is to wear a top with tit-ruching only your tits are flying south of the border? That's not sexy, that's sloppy. And we don't really have a choice because almost every jersey knit thing at Lane Bryant and Avenue has those kinds of things conveniently sewn in to give the appearance of... what exactly? We've already got boobs. Of course, ours are naturally big so they're not necessarily perky, but that doesn't mean we want to feel like we're sportin' cow udders, you know?

I understand that you're trying to run a business and you only care about your bottom line, but completely ignoring 56% of women is not a good way to go about it. Okay, a lot of working class moms with kids won't be interested in shelling out however much for Anne Klein, but they're not really your target demographic anyway, are they?  I would say your target demographic is twenty to thirty something singles and professionals and frankly, I'm a twenty-five-year-old single professional who happens to be fat and would like to look amazing at work. Is your stuff pricey? Yes, but I'll pay it. Why? Because I'm single and I don't have a family to support so I'll have arguably more money than your average working-class housewife who's got three kids and a husband to dress. And because I've got to wear something and one pricey button-down is worth more to me than ten not-so-pricey button-downs from Wal-Mart that are going to shrink three sizes in the wash.

Actually, that's another thing. Just because you're making clothes for fats does NOT mean that you should buy cheaper fabric or skimp on design. If I pay $40 for a tee shirt from Lane Bryant, I don't want to throw it in the wash and find out that after one wear I have to give it to my skinny next door neighbor because it's shrunk so much I can't wear it. That's enough to make me not shop at Lane Bryant. So maybe you're seeing a cut in your money not from lack of people shopping, but from crappy product. Just a thought.

And speaking of crappy product, I'm fat not blind. You should be able to design a fun and flattering outfit for a fat girl without having to drip it in added embellishments. Lace and sequins and cameos and flashy metallic screen prints make it look cheap and like you weren't trying. Or worse, cheap and like you felt the need to cover me up, but you knew I wasn't going to buy a potato sack so you made it shiny. Because fat girl are like magpies or something.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're consumers too. Just because we don't fit your ideal body type (and frankly who does?) does not mean that we don't deserve respect. You've made it blatantly obvious through your products and your marketing (why are "plus size models" only size 8?!) that you think we're somehow less than. You've ignored us. You've given us crap not even our invalid maiden aunts would wear and we've had to buy it because we don't have another choice. You've chosen to believe that to be fat is to be shameful even though many of us are happy in our size and actually aren't trying to diet away our pounds.

For all this and more I say fuck you.

Yours,

Scarlett