Shopping as a plus size person is one of the most demoralising things ever.
Regardless of your size, I believe you have a right to clothes, and more than that, I believe you have a right to beautiful clothes.
Whenever, I talk about this, I get this response – “Well you shouldn’t be that size. If you were smaller, you’d have no problem. If we increased the sizes, we would be encouraging obesity”.
Ok so let’s follow your messed up logic for a while. Let’s pretend that you are right, and I shouldn’t be this size. Fine, I will lose weight. But what do I do in the mean time? The point is right now, in this moment, I AM THIS SIZE. Regardless of whether I am happy this weight, or trying to lose a couple of stone to accommodate you and the rest of society, I AM THIS SIZE and will be needing clothes before this process of weight loss kicks in. I will need clothes to go to the gym. I will need clothes to go outside… unless you would like me to go outside naked and since you find my body so distasteful, I’m going to assume you don’t.
Now, let’s actually address this messed up logic. No, providing clothes for bigger sizes doesn’t promote obesity because people gain weight when they emotionally eat. The main emotions that trigger emotional eating are sadness and shame. Shame is created when we can’t find clothes to wear. Shame is created when we have to wear the only option in our size, as opposed to something we actually want to wear. Shame is created when we stay at home and isolate ourselves because we have nothing to wear.
The fact is that 67% of women are considered plus size. That means the majority of women are struggling to find clothes, and the majority of women are not accommodated for.
Fat women exercise which means we need plus-size activewear.
Fat women go to black-tie events which means we need plus-size formal wear.
Fat women have sex which means we need plus-size lingerie.
Fat women go to the beach which means we need plus-size swimwear.
End of.