plus size, fashion blogger, fashion schlub, over 50 style

The Cat in the Hat with Jen 1 & Jen 2

Clothes are fun in that you can dress up as whatever you want. Want to be the center of attention? Wear something that people can’t miss – bright colors, sequins, extreme lengths, etc. Want to disappear in the crowd? Wear monochromatic, bland tones. Want to command respect? Wear a well-fitted suit. Want to make people laugh? Start an argument? Attract the opposite sex? There are outfits for all those things.

But when your clothing options are limited by size–and that can be either end of the spectrum, large or small (I hear ya, Iris!)–sometimes your clothes can make you feel “not like you.” Mostly I have a way I *want* to look, but the available clothing in my size can keep me from looking that way. This is really the one thing that motivates me to try and slim down a bit. Not for my health, but cuz I want to look the way I want to look! It’s so so frustrating to look online at straight size clothing (and I don’t really do that intentionally, but I follow mostly straight size fashion bloggers) and think, I love THIS, I want to look like THAT…THAT THING would be perfect with many things I already own, but when I look in the plus size section, nope. It doesn’t exist. Not even a reasonable facsimile. And I end up with things that are not REALLY what I wanted, or in a size that’s MOSTLY right, but not quite perfect, cuz hey, I have to wear SOMETHING. And so I’m often out in the world feeling not EXACTLY like who I want to portray, who I want to BE.

Maybe some of you straight-sizers feel the same way, but you have 10,487,362 more options than us plus-sizers do and MAN, THAT JUST AIN’T RIGHT.

I may sound like a broken record on this topic, but it is brought to my attention ALMOST EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE when I get dressed. And it’s SO much better than it used to be, really. But we still don’t have anywhere near the options that other sizes do.

Designers, fashion retailers, manufacturers, buyers – LISTEN UP! We want the same options that everyone else has. That is not an unreasonable request. If you make it and sell it, we will buy it. We’re STARVED for it.

I don’t WANT to play dress up. I don’t want to look like a pink-kitten-sweatshirt-wearin- granny…or a lookin-like-i-was-painted-into-this-dress-hoochie-mama. I want to look like ME. And I’m not the only one. So, more options, please!

Okay, that’s all. For Now.

PS – how cute are my darling co-workers as Jen 1 and Jen 2? And they’re not just adorable – they are smart and open-minded and kind. They are the future. And if they are the future?? The world might just be a better place.