After I have gained weight about a good ten years ago, one of the gravest injustices to me is finding the right kind of clothes that fits me comfortably while also appealing to my personality. Sure, I can always go to boutiques or go to Marks and Spencer where my size isn’t even considered plus size but I don’t exactly have the bank account akin to that of Jinkee Pacquiao’s.
I’ve found out, after constant visits to local department stores, that there seemed to be a prevailing designs and patterns made for you when you are, erm, plus sized.
Ten years of fighting the bulge can make you observant. For example, you’ll see distinct designs and patterns in every plus sized clothing selections in any of your friendly department store and in local catalogues.
Always on top of the list is the use of animal prints. Really? How many tiger print/zebra-print/cheetah-print dresses or blouses will you need when you hit the plus sized range? Not everyone wants to look like Big Momma. Think about it, whenever there’s a plus-sized clothing collection, there will always be one dress that’s done in animal print. Always.
Then there’s the typical color block of “light in the middle, black at the sides” style – which always reminded me of the cruel meme of Kim Kardashian looking like a whale circulated by tabloids at the height of her first pregnancy:
I know color-blocking is intended to draw the eyes towards the inner colors, thus virtually eliminating the flab, but it’s always a hit and miss. Plus, it will be mortifying if some smarty-pants will complement your clothing by comparing you to a whale.
Then, there’s the usual use of extra cloth flaps in the middle, shirring on the sides of right around the gut; or the use of really large sleeves to hide the arms.
I guess the challenge in plus-sized fashion is that people keep hiding their curves rather than embrace them. Sadly, I’ve gone through this when I first started gaining weight. The depression of having additional flab led to me wearing clothes that were just too large for me. Never mind that they are unflattering, never mind that they do not accentuate what was good, never mind that I don’t feel comfortable.
Eventually, I learned to accept that I will never be the same weight compared to when I graduated college. I also learned to be unfazed by callous remarks of some people whose standard greeting was, “you got fat?!” More importantly, I learned to dress for myself. Curvy people can be fashionable and stylish too. And thanks to a lot of inspiration from the Internet and from plus-sized style bloggers, dressing up has become fun.
Note: Photo credit belongs to their respective owners
Thanks to a lot of emerging plus-sized style bloggers, it is now proven that you can have the curves and still be fabulously and effortlessly beautiful.
I love Curvy Girl Chic and GabiFresh for their fun and fresh ideas, coupled with effortless yet stylish dressing. These girls know their curves and flaunt it. I think it’s about time we talk about self-love and these girls exude body positivity.
Every time I see plus-sized clothing and they’re always the typical tried and tired styles, I always tell myself that I could probably do better by heading to the nearest H&M (whose clothes are more curvy-friendly) or Forever 21 or yes, the tried and tested Marks & Spencer.
Yes, it’s more expensive compared to buying in grocery stores but if this means comfortable and chic dressing, then I’m all up for it.
LIFESTYLE WANDERLAND 