by Aly Haley
Walking into any mall in the U.S., the first images you see are beautiful women plastered
all over store windows. Commercials play on everyone’s TVs, showcasing these women, and
advertising the ideal woman’s body. But are those ideals achievable? Are they even considered
the average woman?
It used to be that if you were above a size XXL in women’s clothing, your only options
were baggy sweats. Stores never really had a plus size range of clothes, but recently more and
more stores have developed their ranges to include sizes from 16 to 30. As someone who is
plus-sized, I couldn’t be happier, but sometimes this happiness is short-lived.
I often used to dream of being able to wear cute dresses from brands like Forever21, but
for the longest time I couldn’t. They just didn’t carry very many larges or extra-larges. The first
time I discovered the plus-size section in the Natick Mall’s Forever21, I couldn’t contain my
excitement. I was finally going to be able to wear clothes other than those from Old Navy.
But then I actually walked into the section. I mean sure, some clothes were cute, but it was as if the
designer decided that plus-size people can’t wear fashionable clothes.
Society holds this incredibly high standard for women, and especially teens, that they need
to be a flawless size two, but in reality, that’s not true. For the past 10 years, the average woman’s
size was a size 14. But a recent study published in the International Journal of Fashion Design,
Technology, and Education revealed that that size has actually increased to a 16 or 18. While this
study used 5,500 women over the age of 20, and not teenagers to determine this data, researchers
were able to determine that a woman’s average waist size has increased 2.6 inches over the past
21 years.
But then why are all these popular stores among teens and young adults (American Eagle,
Hollister, Pink, etc.) only carrying average sizes x-small to large? Even if I find a store with
my size, they only have one large or x-large, but I always find at least ten smalls in the same shirt
and color. If the average size of an American woman is bigger than what is being carried in
stores, then where are people in that average size supposed to shop? How can anyone expect a 16
year old in high school to shop at stores where all they find are outfits that match their teachers’?
Stores like Torrid, an exclusively plus size store, have created many lines that not only
are flattering and comfortable in plus sizes, but they’re also stylish. This is just one store though,
and it’s not a very common one. The closest one to me is in Natick, and while it’s not that far,
it’s in no way convenient.
Being plus size isn’t easy. It seems as if the entire fashion world has forgotten that there
are people whose waistline is bigger than a size two.