Stripes, headscarves, and thoughts on “plus size.”
Recently, Elana over at Room 334 posted pictures of herself wearing a swimsuit, looking every bit as adorable and stylish as ever. When I finally got to look at the post, I was really refreshed by the normalcy — a girl at the beach in a cute swimsuit who wasn’t claiming insecurity based on body type, who generally wouldn’t have posted bikini pictures not because she thinks her body is unattractive but because she doesn’t feel the need to plaster it in everybody’s faces, who is just… normal. My favorite types of bloggers have always been those to whom I could relate — not super thin, not voluptuously plus sized, but average. I have a soft spot for the everyday woman, and Elana has been one of my favorites for a long time because she is so relatable in that area.
But then, just a few days later, she posted again with the disheartening news that, without consulting her prior on how they’d like to use her photos, the company who sent her the swimsuit for review had hashtagged her as “plus size” and put her in an album called “Suriana Curvy Girl.” And I was confused.
If companies and/or popular society saw this girl as a plus size woman, did they think the same of me? Elana and I wear the same dress size and the same shirt size, but I have bigger hips, especially right now through pregnancy. If someone would add a girl whose hips are smaller than mine and whose figure at best I would have called “curvy” — something I’ve used to describe people who are thinner AND bigger than me — as plus sized, what would they call me?
For years, I have worked to be a normal size. I have lost weight, I have gained confidence; I have gained weight and lost confidence. I have hated my thighs, loved my waist, watched numbers shrink and grow, felt my insecurities do the same, and I have slowly but surely done my best to fit into the category of average, because to me, my average-sized friends are so beautiful. More than that, though, I have worked hard to appreciate other things about myself and have confidence that is outside of what number my jeans bear.
I have read a lot of articles for and against the term plus size, but I’ve never really formed an opinion on it until now. In the past, plus size was an easy way to categorize clothes, much like you would use “juniors” or “petites” or “misses” sizing. The cuts were just different, and therefore needed that label. The women who wore them were of above-average sizing (not a bad thing), and as I would have also categorized a petite blogger or a mom blogger, there were plus size bloggers. And as the years passed, being a plus size blogger took on a lot of (much deserved!) positivity and garnered applause for their bravery — to put themselves out there as a woman whose body was not what society hailed as ideal, in clothing that was attractive.
As I watched the self-proclaimed plus-size blogs grow in popularity right alongside the modelesque sized bloggers, sometimes I felt a bit lost. I have nothing against plus sized or model-sized blogs, and in fact love to read them, but I am not plus sized, and I am not model sized. I am not hailed as brave for wearing clothing that is attractive. I am not sought out by media for having a thin body type that is currently praised as ideal. I am not applauded for wearing a swimsuit to the beach as a woman my size. I am average. I am simply accepted and forgotten as a part of popular society. And because I have aspired so much to be where I am, it’s disappointing to realize that to the larger part of the published world, what I have to offer may not be considered simply because I am not a groundbreaking size.
After all, how do you market an average body? How can one gain attention for a size 8 woman whose figure is similar to so many others? How can you promote groundbreaking or trendsetting when someone wears size twelve jeans? Where is the controversy, the attention-grabbing headline, the hashtag that garners the most clicks? How can you create desire with someone who does not have a figure every girl aspires towards, or admires for its bravery to be different?
The fact is, in all of the movement to promote body diversity, there still is not much diversity going on. Between the truly plus sized and the fairly fit bodies, there is a land that is rarely covered by the media that considers Jennifer Lawrence to be fat, where Lena Dunham is slammed for apparently promoting obesity, and where models with better figures than me are considered “plus size.” There are only a handful of companies who truly advertise with diverse bodies, but even then fall more on the sides of thin or plus than choosing to showcase an average-sized girl.
Reading Elana’s blog post sparked a lot of thought on my part. What do I really think of the term plus size? Who do I consider to be so? And why does it even matter?
Much as Elana was more offended that no discussion was had prior to a company posting her as a plus size girl, I would be offended if someone were to label me as plus size — not because I think it’s a bad thing to be a plus size woman, but because that is a misrepresentation of who I am. I have often admired plus size bloggers and occasionally wished I could be considered part of that group at my current weight because it looks like fun and I think they are beautiful. But my measurements fall far short of being plus or thin, which excludes me from two very popular categories.
However, I would not want to be included simply because the numbers on my scale or the shape of my body makes me a marketable term. And I would not want to be labeled as such without my knowledge, because that is not how I choose to represent myself. Calling a person plus size should be something used respectfully, thoughtfully, and with prior discussion with that person as to how they would like to be labeled. Despite all of the work going into reclaiming “plus size” as a positive thing, how it is used should always be coupled with sensitivity, respect, and consideration.
After all, humans are not insusceptible to the negativity that comes with having a unique feature. No matter how much it might look like they don’t care in public, nobody knows how much they struggle in private. Nobody knows how that label might affect others who see it applied. Nobody knows how much it could hurt when it’s something they’ve never considered themselves to be.
Dress, heels, belt, and scarf, thrifted | earrings, vintage/grandma’s
And above all of that, I don’t think the term “plus size” should be banned; banning it implies to everyone that it is a bad thing to be, and demeans those who are happy to be plus, who take pride in their above-average curves, who value that term as a part of themselves. Nor do I think that it should be “reclaimed” and promoted, as many are trying to do right now. Rather, I think it should be normalized. Because the other options can both cause damage. Just as marketing a thin body has damaged the lives of many young girls, so too can running the opposite way and saying that plus size is the new norm. Those who are simply average get caught in the controversy between thin and plus size, and nobody stands up to say that they, too, are perfectly acceptable and beautiful in society.
Normalizing the term could negate the unwanted effects of those who might use it to bully and those who unknowingly feed the need-to-be-that-way fire in the minds of girls who idolize a body type that is not their own. Normalizing it means you can be a happy, healthy person regardless of which section you shop in and nobody will argue. Normalizing it means a woman with rolls can wear a bikini to the beach and nobody bats an eye. Normalizing it could mean that society would begin to promote all body types, and not just the extremes. That suddenly the ideal body type is not just one shape, size, or number on the scale, but many.
Perhaps then, marketers would not need to label someone as something they are not simply for clicks and views. Perhaps then, we could be one step closer to a healthier mindset of what beauty is in young girls today. And perhaps then, nobody would get lost in the middle.
Please note: this is not a post to bash plus size or thin bloggers or women, but to challenge the way marketing is used in the fashion industry, and to spark thought about whether or not these terms are harmful, and how we can make a change to continue along the road to all-inclusive body diversity in stores today.
Bloglovin|Facebook|Twitter|Pinterest|Instagram|Fiction Press|Etsy|Photography
22 Comments
Justina Kenyon
Thank you so much for writing this. I was just lamenting this morning about how I am often too large for straight sizes and too small for plus sizes (on the bottom that is) and how frustrating that can be. It often feels as though I’m not little enough or big enough to fearlessly rock whatever I wear and I know that is wrong. I Think it is sad how media (ie big companies with money in mind) can take a movement like the body positivity one and use it to further alienate women and girls.
Eccentric Owl
I have that same problem on my bottom half — my hips are too big, my top is too small. And I feel as though most dresses, if the skirt isn’t flared, are made for perfect proportions which yep… I don’t have! So I totally feel you there!
And I think that media totally does that, because it’s marketable. What is marketable may never change, who knows; but at least the movement can be made amongst people to promote ALL bodies instead of just the socially praised ones. 😉 (Not that the socially praised ones are wrong, just that media loves a good contrast and attention-getting headlines.)
Emily
My feelings about this are really complicated. I feel “stuck in the middle” at times too — I am not “skinny” but I am also most decidedly not “curvy” and no one is celebrating my shape. But I completely understand why that is. I represent the average, the mean, the ordinary middle ground. We are (all of us) drawn to the outliers, to the extremes, to what stands out — which is not me, at least not because of my physique.
I have a hard time with the idea that I need someone’s permission to refer to them as “plus-size.” As you note initially, it’s a descriptor, not a value judgment. That being said, I do think the term gets thrown around very loosely, and there is not consensus on what exactly it means, which is extremely problematic. AND that it has grown, somehow, into this very broad label that really means “bigger than a runway model,” which dilutes its meaning and winds up lumping together a lot of people with very, very different body shapes and fashion needs, etc. And I understand, too, that people have strong feelings about their shape being labeled in a way that wasn’t welcome to them.
But I feel like the two things you’re asking for here can’t happen at the same time. If we continue to give the term “plus-size” all this power, and insist that it is “always … coupled with sensitivity, respect, and consideration,” then I feel like that runs at cross-purposes to the idea of “normalizing” plus-size. How can we do both things at the same time? If we want to normalize it, that would mean to me that we would use the term in a neutral and precise fashion, without the implication of judgment — but also without the implication of heightened sensitivity.
It’s a tough nut to crack, for sure.
Eccentric Owl
Regarding the sensitivity and respect and consideration, I meant in terms of marketing — where Elana got hit the worst was that no one in the company asked her if it was okay to market the photos she posted (she received a bikini to review) as plus size fashion, which is kind of a big deal; in order to get more attention, she was tagged plus size; it made her feel as though they didn’t want to work with her for HERSELF, but for what size she was.
But also I think any label, even normal ones, should be used with some consideration and respect for the person you’re applying it to – you wouldn’t walk up to the highschool computer class reject and call him a nerd because it might be offensive to him, but to a comic-book collecting, Dr Who loving, uberfan, being called a nerd is something to be proud of. The sensitivity I’m talking about, which I didn’t really clarify, is sensitivity in regards to whom you are applying the label, how they might perceive it, and why you are using that term. To a girl who grew up chubby and who strives to be perceived as normal, being called plus size, no matter how positive a thing it might be from the person applying it, might just cause her to feel more like an outcast for her size.
But I agree with you; it is a complicated issue and there are a lot of hard things about discussing it.
Alison
It is really interesting the labels the fashion industry put on women. And yes, it’s bizarre that we’re made to feel that we need to fit into these categories. The new tag seems to be “inbetweenie”, sometimes making it into the biggest of the “straight” sizes, but sometimes too small for the “plus sizes”. Jo from iCurvy wrote about being an Inbetweenie here: http://icurvyworld.com/2015/03/what-is-an-inbetweenie/
Plus size (in Australia) is deemed size 14 and above, and most women (once again, in Australia) are on average a size 12 to 14. I know I have clothes in my wardrobe that range in size from a 12 to 20, depending on the brand and cut. I think the fashion industry needs to stop labeling and using numbers, women need to stop comparing themselves to others and saying, “This is me, I am who I am.” But I do not agree with the company labeling Elana as plus size. That is not their choice, it should be her choice if she wants to categorize herself. If she doesn’t that’s fine too.
My mother was a dress maker and growing up, nearly all my clothes were handmade. She was able to make the clothes, adjusting patterns to fit me. And I knew from my early teens that I was “short waisted” (length between the bust to waist) and “long in the crotch” (bigger in the hips and bum). With the mass production of clothes, if you don’t fit in the factory pattern, you are made to feel “different”, not fitting into societies “normal” and the truth is, yes, we are all different! I have a friend who is size 6, but long in her torso and she can never find tops long enough for her. I have started sewing again, I currently have a lot of time, which isn’t a luxury I’ve had before and I know everyone doesn’t have the time or skills, but this is the only solution I can see. Stop shopping, start sewing. 🙂
Eccentric Owl
Oh interesting! I’d never heard the term “inbetweenie” before! It’s so funny to me though how plus size is deemed a 12-14 and above, yet the average woman IS that size, so… how is that plus? Isn’t that just normal? I feel as though here, plus size means a woman who is not only above-average weight, but also has very pronounced curves. Lyndsey of Dressed in Mascara commented above how she IS plus size and she does have an hourglass figure, but it’s not pronounced enough to warrant the term for some people and she has been bashed for labeling herself as either, which is sad!
I love what you said — we need to say “this is me, I am who I am” instead of comparing ourselves to others!
Ah, having someone who can tailor clothing to you is such a nice luxury! I am able in the meanest way to do that for myself, but I’m a bit of a slapdash seamstress so my alterations are never quite perfect.
skye
There’s a lot of nuance and competing factors here, and I think you lay it all out really well.
The biggest problem I have with all of this is that there’s such a sharp divide. There’s nothing wrong with being plus-size or being proud of being plus-size, but it’s a problem when the focus on it comes from others and not from yourself. For instance, being a plus-size model is Tess Holliday’s entire shtick, and she works it. But I worry that other plus-size women who don’t want their size to be the most relevant thing about them are influenced by that.
I love modeling! I am also, by the technical definition of the term, plus-size (though just barely [I wear a modern size 12]). I don’t feel like my size has much bearing on the kind of modeling I like – I’m interested in storytelling and art and costumes and bright colors and painting my face. Yet I know that if my work ever gets big, I’ll be labeled “plus-size” first and a model second. And that’s frustrating. It’s not that being plus-size is a bad thing – it’s just that no woman should ever be told her body is the most relevant thing about her. I don’t inherently have anything in common with another woman just because we’re both plus-size. I don’t want my art automatically put in this category because of the way my body looks. That’s why I think normalization is so important. I’ll allow us to find common ground in the areas that matter.
(I’m also not sure how I feel about the term “brave” being applied to every larger woman under the sun. It’s definitely brave to get over body issues and flaunt yourself anyway, but…who says all big women have body issues? A skinny girl who’s self-conscious about herself and models anyway is way braver than a confident plus-size one. It feels condescending to assume that all larger women have self-esteem hurdles to get over.)
https://colormebrazen.wordpress.com/
skye
Oh, and loving the outfit too. Especially that scarf tie.
Eccentric Owl
I was just thinking also that height makes a difference — you and I share the same dimensions bust-waist-hip wise (when I’m not pregnant), but I think I’m one or two inches taller (? 5′ 6-1/2″) so it makes a difference in how our bodies look, which is kind of fascinating to me! I suppose my hips would be considered plus since I wear a size 14 jean. But my top half goes anywhere from Medium to XS shirts, depending on the brand and store, and dress size wise I tend to wear size 6 to 8 or so.
I agree that being labeled as such should be your own choice, and especially right now as most people will look at your shape or size rather than what you do and who you are, and just stick you in a category. I think that’s the biggest problem with the current movement is that it negates who people ARE, and rather identifies them by how they LOOK.
and RE brave — I have whole other thoughts about that that I couldn’t really put in this post because… focus… but essentially I agree with you. I think that it CAN take some bravery to be a plus size blogger because it’s different from the norm, or used to be, but at the same time… why is wearing a swimsuit to the beach brave? Why SHOULD that be considered brave? It’s normal. I only used brave in the sense that the media hails them as such.
Pam
I had thought of myself as plus sized, but reading the other posts, I guess I am on the cusp of average/plus sized. I enjoyed your article. Keep it up!
Heather Gwinn
Fantastic read Kristina! I often think of the things you said about fashion and the way society views them. Honestly the word plus size really confuses me because where plus size starts isn’t really that “plus” at all! The truth of the matter is we keep adding sizes like 0 and 00 so really what we think is plus size is just the fashion industry adding another lower unhealthy weight for women to try and achieve. Although I am a smaller woman I struggle in other areas. Society has deemed larger breasts to be the norm and finding any bras in my size is a huge struggle! There have been a great deal of times I’ve gone home frustrated even crying because finding smaller sizes are near nonexistent. That is unless you plan to shop in the kids section (not happening) or spending top dollars on pricy ones. But I feel like there is a wave of change in the air for the fashion industry. It might not happen overnight. It might take years! But has anyone else noticed in just this last year how much is being said about positive body image, self empowerment? Even just in blogs! It starts somewhere!
Eccentric Owl
YES — I have friends who are on the opposite end of the spectrum who struggle to find sizes that are smaller as well.
Have you ever visited the forum “A Bra that Fits” on Reddit? changed my life in how I view bras and wear them! But it might help with finding your correct size — many people who think they are A or B cups are actually in need of a smaller band size to help the bra fit correctly, and also cup sizes change depending on the band size! Which I didn’t ever realize.
But yes, I love the movement towards positive body image around blogs lately! I’ve noticed it too!
Heather Gwinn
I haven’t but I’ll be sure to check them out! Thanks! As for sizes I always grab the smaller of sizes in the hopes that perhaps a different size (A &B) might fit. In the end I’m always the same size. It’s a unicorn size, difficult to find unless I shop at pricy stores. It’s funny, I shell out for dresses but I can’t seem to justify that same price on a bra haha! They just break too easily.
The Owl
Yeah, the only place I can find bras that fit me is Macy’s (I’m a 34 DDD) and even then I always try to get the ones that are on sale! I have a hard time paying a lot for something that very few people will see, but having a bra that fits properly (I used to wear 34C’s, and my boobs constantly popped out) has made SUCH a world of difference. Of course, now that I’m pregnant and soon to be nursing I will need to buy a transition bra, which… I hate doing. But it’s important to have undergarments that fit well!
Lyndsey M
This post struck a chord with me. There are three different times when I can remember being slashed about labeling myself as plus size. One time a girl said “She is CLEARLY not plus size.. I hate it when slightly curvy girls mark themselves as that!” (I think it was on a Chictopia post or a pin of one of my outfits). I’m not as voluptious or curvy as most plus size women, but I still wear a size 18/20 which, indeed, labels me as a plus size. When I was 120lbs (50lbs underweight) the smallest size I wore at a 5’11 height was an 8. That’s the smallest size I can remember being, yet it was the most underweight and unhealthy I’d ever been.
Again, a lingerie company posted photos of me in their outerwear corset and said I used their corset to cover my “problematic apple shape” to give me an hourglass figure. This infuriated me, made me cry and beyond self conscious. I do not have an apple shape at all- I have a natural hourglass figure and inhereted toned legs. At the time when that was posted, I was killing myself working out twice a week at the gym and was 190lbs after being 272lbs. It is impossible to accurately judge health by a number or appearance.
In no way should have they labeled Elana as plus size just because she isn’t rail thin. I view it as another way of saying “hey, this girl is fatter than our regular customers, so lets slap ‘plus size’ and ‘body positivity’ on there!” Because that’s the new thing. People aren’t grasping the entire meaning of body positivity. It isn’t just for the plus size. It’s for e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. That includes the underweight, the disfigured, the perfectly healthy, the inbetween, the obese, the curvy, the pregnant, etc. ALLLLLLLLL BODIES AT ALLLLLL STAGES. For example, think about this whole “dad bod” thing. Men are actually being attacked too! ‘Dad bod’ is just another term for “I had kids so I let myself go” and slapped on any guy without abs and guns (even guys without kids). Just like plus size has become “I have rolls/bigger than average stomach, boobs/hips/butt/legs/problem areas that aren’t acceptable to most people” and slapped on anyone that doesn’t have an industry size body. So, the confident women who actually love being labeled plus size are offended when it’s used on someone who isn’t, and the self consious plus size women makes them say “omg, what do they think about ME if they consider HER a plus size?! ELEPHANTARO?!? I’m so fat.. no one wants to look at my body.” Hence, body shaming in it’s truest form.
OK, END RANT. lol!
Eccentric Owl
Haha, I love your rant, Lyndsey! And that’s SO irritating and sad that that happened to you. (I cannot imagine being 120lbs, by the way; that’s underweight even for me at my average height!)
I totally agree– body positivity isn’t just for plus or curves; I’ve been seeing that a lot. People try to promote body positivity from one end or the other, but exclude so many because they are still promoting just one type of body rather than ALL bodies. And since I know people who struggle with gaining weight as well as losing weight, or body confidence even with what others would view as an ideal body, I always try to remind people of that – just because someone looks perfect doesn’t mean they feel it! And we all need to be reminded that our shapes and sizes are great, even if they’re not in the “ideal” spectrum!
Sammi
THIS. OH MY GOSH, THIS. This so accurately and eloquently puts into words what I’ve been feeling about both this particular situation and to similar situations in which I’ve found myself. As a size 8 girl with curves who has struggled with her weight for most of her life, this is one of the most relatable blog posts I’ve ever read on this subject. A plus-sized blogger recently included my photo in a round-up post of plus-sized fashion inspiration blogs, and though I’m flattered she likes my style, I was upset that she felt I was plus-sized – NOT because it’s a bad thing to be in the slightest, but because I’m simply not plus-sized. This whole subject is sort of touchy and I think you handled it so gracefully. Brava.
xox Sammi
Eccentric Owl
Thank you, Sammi! I totally get how you feel; I’ve struggled with weight my whole life, too, but I would still feel a little bit upset (even though I’d be flattered they liked my style) if someone were to put me in a plus size roundup.
Kristian Olson
Such interesting thoughts on this topic! One of the things that you mentioned here that I think it really important is that Plus Sizing is actually just a way to indicate clothing with different proportions/ratios the same way Petite of Misses or Juniors are- yet it is marketed very differently. On the one hand, I can see why. Many places don’t seem to sell a lot that would be actually plus sizing, and often it isn’t cute, so places that do have cute plus sizing clothing want to highlight it because that is the market they are going for. But, as you point out, while it is good that those who do not fit the mold of “model thin” are also being embraced, so much emphasis on Plus-size can still hurt positive body image too, as it can seem like society only wants extremes.
I’ll be honest and say I’ve never really felt overlooked by the media, but I actually find it a bit baffling that more clothing companies don’t showcase how their outfits look on regular/average sized people. Since, you know, body sizes might not be on a perfect bell-curve but statistically, an average sized person is a size 8 or so…. you’d be catering to most people. Seems like that would be more successful than trying to sell the idea that their clothes will magically make one a size 2 (although people’s pursuit of such small sizes is a whole other issue).
Eccentric Owl
Yep! I find it so interesting how things are marketed, and I do understand why since a few years ago it was rare to find plus sizes in the same cute garments that you’d find straight sizing in. But still… it’s just clothing for womens’ bodies.
That is exactly how I feel — why don’t they use average sizing more to display this clothing? Because something looks vastly different on a size 2 than a size 8 (or a size 20) and it seems like it’d be an easier way to sell things if you offered up images that were in ALL sizes rather than just tiny or plus.
Danie Williams-Rivera
I’ve been a plus size model, photographer, and been involved in one way or another in the plus size industry for years. I’ve heard many arguments back and forth about whether or not the term “plus size” should still be a term anymore, or whether it’s served it’s purpose and is now out dated. On one hand, Plus Size folks have been discriminated against for quite a long time – whether through the clothing offerings, or through their work, through bullying, or in some other form. There is still a long way to go to stop the body hating that started several decades ago if you weren’t the “proper size.” However, I sometimes wonder if the separation of Plus Size is actually causing more harm than good? Would we get to our goal of all around body positivity faster if we just normalized a clothing sizes above 12 and we were all just women wearing clothes, as opposed to separating out what kind of women we are?
I started off in the plus size industry as a size 12/14, had some health complications that brought me up to an 18, and now I’m somewhere around a smallish 16. As I started to lose weight (they fixed my medication) I was actually worried that I would lose modeling gigs for not being a “true” plus size if I lost too much weight. Even if that meant I was healthy again. I know several models who are in this bucket right now.
There is a lot of body-positivity going on right now, and I love it. I think it’s really powerful to say that you can be beautiful and SHOULD feel beautiful whatever your size. However, separating us between “straight size” (industry term) and “Plus Size” can be damaging for both parties. It can be insulting to feel like your labeled something you’re not, as you said in your post. But ultimately it creates an “us vs. them” rhetoric. It’s a way to create a division, that is questionable whether or not it should be there. I guess, my question is, what is the point of separating us between regular/normal/plus size/straight size or whatever you want to label it? Is there a legitimate benefit? As a clothing company if you run sizes 2-24, do you have to draw a line of where your label switches into a different size category? The construction is slightly different for “plus size” clothing, but not as different as a “misses” or “Juniors” category is.
I don’t know. I guess, I don’t see benefits of using the label, at least on an industry level. All bodies should be celebrated. All people should be celebrated as more important and as something much more complex, deep and interesting than the size of clothes that they wear. Everyone should feel beautiful and special because they are unique, intelligent, complex and amazing, not because of their clothing size.
I think by stop creating such harsh distinctions, there wouldn’t be groups that would be so ostracized, it would revolutionize the modeling industry, it wouldn’t be SO CRAZY to see someone wearing a swim suit on the beach (I mean, did we just move into crazy town? Who DOES that?!), and it wouldn’t be “brave” to wear clothes that you want to wear. It would be normal. We would be normal for being whatever size we want, and in everyone being normal, everyone would be special. I don’t know, maybe I’m living in the land of unicorns and rainbows, but I think it sounds pretty great in my head.
Eccentric Owl
I love all of the points you brought up, Dani! As you pointed out, what IS the point of that separation? I think construction wise it’s helpful, like petite sizing is, but as you said the construction isn’t THAT different (and petite sizing IS) so why have it at all? I’d love to see the fashion industry move into just… women in all shapes and sizes without having to be labeled, offering a plethora of sizes that are not divided by the stigma that one is “straight” size and the other is “plus” size just because one woman carries more weight in some section of her body.
lol, I had that same thought about the swimsuit thing — like, why is it so shocking or brave or whatever to see a woman wearing a bikini/swimsuit AT THE BEACH?? Seriously. It’s scary for any woman of any size to wear swimsuits (and can we talk for a moment about how hard it is to find suits that fit nicely?) to the beach because hey, not everyone has a perfect bod… but in which case, it should be more shocking to see the perfect swimsuit body than it would be to see a woman with hips or belly rolls or cellulite or stretch marks (and um, hello, my always-been-skinny husband has stretch marks, so… what’s the big deal about them again?) rocking a suit in the water. I had a lot of other thoughts about all of that as well, but didn’t want to break the focus of this post or make it too long. I would LOVE a world where size wasn’t the first thing a person was labeled by, too. I’ll join you in your land of unicorns and rainbows!