From Your Fat Friend on Medium: why I keep bringing up the differences of living in a fat body on a fashion site. (Disclaimer that I’m on the smaller end of the plus sized spectrum and have experienced less, though some, harassment than the author has.)
When Clothing is More than Fashion:
What do “size-inclusive” clothing lines offer plus size people?
“Even now, access to clothing remains needlessly challenging. According to one retail analytics firm, retailers offer 2.3% as many clothing options for plus size people as they do for straight sizes. If you wear a size 14 or under, you have over 43 times as many clothing options as I do. And that doesn’t even account for the sharp dropoff of clothing available above a size 24, much less above a size 32.”
“But that struggle doesn’t end with clothing. More than clothing, I need to unearth the attitudes that deem my body worthy of such naked revulsion. I need to uproot the bias that so reliably pushes fat people to the margins. The attitudes that leave just 15% of employers willing to even consider hiring a plus size woman. The attitudes that lead fat people to receive staggeringly poor health care. And yes, the attitudes that lead strangers, family and friends to comment on my body with startling regularity.”
