Apparently, a wave of designers are halting production of "plus-sized" clothing lines. Unfortunately I don't have the time or patience to navigate through all of the discussion, but have meandered a bit through the replies and found some interesting view points:
"It may or may not be a feminist issue. I have no idea. But it is certainly not a consumer issue, big or otherwise. No one is under any obligation to sell what you want... [we are not] owed what we want and no one is obligated to make and sell it."
"[T]he retailers they're talking [about] deal with semi-high end brands. Thus it doesn't really matter what the average "American" is. They are catering to their 'average rich person' demographic."
"It's not semi-high end, though; it's pure middle America chainworld mall-land. It's absolutely where that average figure shops. ...[W]e tend to assume everybody else is doing just fine and it's just us getting screwed, when, as this thread indicates, everybody has a tough time buying off the rack. And to be honest, I get that it's up to a store to carry what it wants and I'm not really likely to be offended by their decision not to market to me. It's just kind of puzzling that there are so many people keen to buy clothes in these sizes and so few retailers interested in doing so."
C and I also get bummed out that popular stores don't cater to our body types. Pants aren't long enough; the smallest waist size is still too big; shirts are too short or too wide. It's apparent that everyone has a long list of complaints.
Part of the problem is--as I see it--that we are falling victim by believing that these popular, nation-wide chain stores are producing clothing to fit everyone. Also, we hope to fit into everything off the hanger.
Unfortunately, the truth is that clothing lines have apparently accepted a certain range of heights and sizes and produce clothes for that range. I'm assuming they also produce different sizes in different quantities based on "market research." This means I can't buy pants from JCrew; I can't buy shirts at Old Navy; Dick's Sporting Goods and Kohls rarely has men's small athletic pants and shorts in stock. And don't get me started on vanity labelling! [Seriously, I wear a 28" waist at Gap and 32" in Dickies.] I've learned what companies fit me, and am overly cautions when seeking out some new article of clothing. It REALLY sucks when cool, small companies can't afford to offer me clothing in sizes that will fit me. It sucks when I think about it, but generally isn't high up on my concerns list.
In fact I have a way of dealing with this: good old fashion D.I.Y. modification. Not only do we expect clothes to fit us, but we expect the clothing look good too. That is as big of a problem in my eyes. I've been so disappointed with all the shit that clothing companies put out. There is one way to fix it though: modification. Cut some pants into shorts, re-hem a shirt, spray paint on some fabric, alter the elastic, whatever! This was my standard M.O. in high school when getting "scene points" had everything to do with being around and being creative. I wasn't satisfied with anything unless I had modified it in some way [Quick tangent: one big criticism of Punk sub-culture is that "punks" are as uniform and unoriginal as their mainstream counterparts. False! Punk kids learn to be creative with their style and despite looking similar, remain very individualistic. And I'm not talking about an un-modified wardrobe straight outta' Hot Topic. Thoughts?] And it continues today. Just recently, C helped me modify a hat I purchased to fit my abnormally large dome a bit better.
I'll agree, it's not as easy to self-tailor a waist on some pants and you can't necessarily start designing and creating clothing, especially using some of the cool fabrics and technologies that are seen in the market. But we need to stop relying so heavily on mainstream chains to satisfy everyone and we need to start being creative about how we take care of ourselves--in this case, getting dressed.
I think, above all, this discussion obviates the need and demand for new designers and retailers in the market. Get your entreprenuership on and fulfill this demand. Sure, Capitalism can be a dick, but it can also be a good way to satisfy demand and get paid. Right?
being on the voluptuous side, myself, i always figured that the thinner you got, the better everything off the rack would fit you. guess not :/
ReplyDeletein fact, more and more, i hear / read that "average" or thin people have just as much of a hard time finding mass-produced clothing that fits them properly as any other demographic.
which makes me wonder where clothing designers are getting their information about the human form and/or if it's even possible to make clothing that would make even a majority of people happy.
i agree about diy clothing, though. it's really the best way to go.