Now that two thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, stores are bringing their plus-size sections out of the corner and onto the same racks as the regular sizes. Or rather they are becoming the regular sizes, since now the one third of not-overweight Americans are in the minority. Oh my, this is getting so confusing. What I want to know is whether Bloomingdale’s will keep their plus-size section right next to the snack bar.
“Plus-size women are very, very loyal to brands. They have a lot of spending power,” says a Liz Claiborne executive, explaining the retail push to accommodate plus-size ladies. Perhaps this will mean there will be new brands emerging? Because I can’t imagine why Lane Bryant inspires any loyalty at all.
Big Gay Road Trip: Canada, Adieu
We left Toronto right on time yesterday to begin our big, gay adventure across the Great White North. After bidding farewell to Canada in the border town of Sarnia, Ontario, the destination was Chicago, and we were excited to…
It drives me crazy how overweight women always try to use Jane Russell or Marilyn Monroe as examples of full-figured women. Marilyn Monroe wore what today would be considered a SIZE NINE.
It’s disgusting to me that being overweight is slowly becoming the new norm in America.
THIS IS HEALTHY LADIES: At 5 feet tall, you should weigh 100 lbs. Now, add 5 lbs. for every inch you are. If you weigh that much or a little less, you are height/weight proportionate.
The reason plus sized women are brand loyal is because there are so few options. The only plus sized stores I know of are Lane Bryant and Torrid. Of course you’re going to choose those two retailers if you’re plus sized. What else is there? I didn’t know that Macy’s carried plus sizes until I worked there, but the range of pieces was limited. I suspect that if more plus sized clothing comes out, the makers will notice that plus sized women aren’t inherently brand loyal, they just have nothing better to buy.
But were Marilyn and Jane obese? It’s one thing to have curves, another to have folds.
Maybe if designers would design for women with curves their clothes wouldn’t look so bad on those with them? Just a thought. (Marilyn and Jane Russell always looked fabulous in their clothes)
I think that the current range of plus-size options is pretty dreadful, so it will be interesting to see if some cool things come out of the increased response to demand.
However, the skeptic in me keeps saying that clothes just look better on skinny people, and so designing with larger sizes in mind could be a complete disaster.
Well, it’s only about time!
Business is not about judgement,
it’s about supply and demand- And I, for one ,would love to start my own “plus size” label!
Living in Tokyo I know exactly how it feels to be “left out” of the cute and fashionable mainstream size range, which here is limited to 3 sizes; tiny, small, & the rest.
This is also true in shoes.
But in America?
The land of Capitalism?
No excuse whatsoever!
Wake up calls are in order!