I have never seen a plus size model that looks like me.
Never seen extra-wide hips, a stretch mark or two…I have never seen cellulite
on the pages of Roman’s, Woman Within, or even a Torrid add.
If this is the case, what consumers are these clothiers actually trying to attract to
their store? It conveys a message of exclusion. “You can buy our clothes, but we
wouldn’t dare put your love handles on the covers of our magazines.”
I find myself overly frustrated at times by the lack of plus size women being
featured on the covers of a plus size magazine, and even more so that I can’t do
anything about it. So who IS the plus size woman?
Is she America’s Next Top Model’s first “full-size” (not plus) model, Whitney Thompson?
Or is it the face we see time and again in the Torrid mailers, Georgina Burke?
Maybe it’s Toccara Jones, a rare brown face in a sea of caucasian models?
I don’t know about any of you guys, but I can’t relate to any of these women when I look in the mirror. Keep in mind I am taking nothing away from these women; they are beautiful and deserve the attention they receive. But the real question is if you saw one of them walking down the street, would you call them plus size or average size? And if they are the ones representing the full-figured woman, does this mean I should be categorized differently for wearing a size 22 to their 10/12? This post is short because there will be a part two with guest writer Queen Tut soon! Please add any commentary or feedback, thank you!
Yours beautifully,
– Lilo
#MySizeIsAPlus 
Reblogged this on You See It, You Hear It..
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I think they focus more on proportions than anything. They expect all women to have this “ideal” hourglass shape even when it’s not realistic… Also, I believe it’s cultural-although ethnic minorities tend to appreciate thicker women, traditionally the mainstream Eurocentric view dictates that in the fashion world, anything larger than a size 2 is a plus
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@GreekScholar08 Thank you for your feedback! I completely agree with this as well. The double whammy for a lot of Afrikan plus size women is that we will always be underrepresented.
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Darken up the font please. I am old and it is hard for me to see…
I knew Toccara most of her youth, DYT in the BUILDING, and I think the pressure is to down size yourself most fashion designers make clothes for aesthetics and not the real world. They like tall slender girls to highlight the clothings look, I guess.
As for catalogues I see many women with full bodies.
Will there be a plus sized star like Toccara again? I don’t know but Jill Scott does okay.
The magazine industry is dying anyway and online THICK is coveted. In this new age of information things are changing but slowly…
10 years ago Toccara wouldn’t have been in front of a camera unless it was the Sears catalogue. There is a market not only for plus sized fashion but men who love women with a larger frame.
(not bringing porn in this discussion out of tact)
I like where you are going though, with this thought process because their are many beautiful BIG women who deserve a chance to shine and the proprietors of these corporations and ad companies need to be more respectful of their demographic.
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