I have been a long time shopper at Lane Bryant who caters their clothing to women 14 and larger. They have clothing that is cut particular ways for different shaped women. If you want to know what styles are in for Lane Bryant, go directly to their website. If you are what the industry considers “plus-sized”. DO NOT get the Lane Bryant catalog (it is a separate company that sells the brand Lane Bryant) and chooses to advertise clothing for sizes through 30 and uses models that belong in American Apparel advertising. As a size 16/18 I wanted to know how it would look on a body like mine, and the only example I had were on models that had legs the size of my arms. This is the kind of backward thinking the fashion industry has.
So I started off wanting to scream to the world to accept average sized women (14) and larger. That because a woman is bigger than what media has wanted us to think acceptable, does not mean that we are supporting unhealthy lifestyles. It seems to me that there is now a new fad (which I hope lasts) of acknowledging sizes 14 and up. Some places like American Apparel trying a very tasteless advertising gimmick to the previously ignored average population. Not sure if they just took the idea from “The Biggest Loser” and completely missed the mark of having any class. Thank goodness for sharp women like Nancy Upton to turn their attempt at creative advertising on its head by creating her own spin on their failed attempt at humor and what they had tried to do with a contest, and WON!
Amazing, but not surprising, American Apparel let Nancy know that she was overly sensitive about their contest, lacked a sense of humor,
Oh - and regarding winning the contest, while you were clearly the popular choice, we have decided to award the prizes to other contestants that we feel truly exemplify the idea of beauty inside and out, and whom we will be proud to have representing our company.
In a letter from Iris Alonzo Creative Director American Apparel to Nancy Upton, which had been addressed only to Nancy, but later found out more had been sent out by American Apparel to other media outlets as well as Nancy. For a company that has such a “great” sense of humor, why didn’t they laugh at themselves for being so ridiculous? Taking on the challenge of opening eyes to the realities of tasteless advertising and blatant denial of the fashion industry’s true colors; are brave, intelligent, beautiful women who are forcing advertisers to look themselves in the ugly face and acknowledge they have been wrong.
There are many people talking/writing about the “loving your body” movement in acceptance of “plus-sized” women in advertising. The French Marie Claire ran an ad in 2010 with plus-sized models.
There is fear of encouraging unhealthy lifestyles and obesity, when instead of celebrating women of all sizes they continue to segregate the average from the unrealistic they have sold to us and shoved down our throats for years.
The other option is to shop at a store that has something for everyone, except cute clothes for the “plus-size” demographic. The same nothing you get at Sears when you buy an XL and it looks like it was cut for a cardboard box woman. Bleh! Or the genius who came up with the idea that anyone larger than a size 12 would want to have a Disney character on their clothes or wear overalls. Really?!
Why is high fashion left for the ultra skinny, unhealthy, starved, models while small tents, and ugly prints are what fashion designers expect the other representatives of the 94% of real women, to wear.
An article in the Mail online, a UK publication, the caption reads, “Big is Beautiful? Plus-sized models spark health debate at Sydney fashion show.” Sadly there was only 64 tickets sold out of the 300 available.
But, honestly, after seeing the clothes they put the models in, I don’t think that anyone missed much by way of fashion. I cheer those who are making this a reality. But lets find a balance, where are the thinner models too? Why are we separating sizes, aren’t we all women who want beautiful clothes? Something to think about.
But, I digress. Why is it a health debate for larger women to walk a runway, and until recently it wasn’t even discussed in media the health issues of too skinny, unhealthy women modeling clothes for the unattainable? I could go on and on about these frustrations.
Then it hit me. There is a silent group that is not being recognized in all of this too skinny, too fat (OMG! Yes, I used the taboo word, fat) discussions. What about the healthy skinny women. As a big gal I don’t usually think about the other side of the spectrum, but what about the voice of the women who are skinny, eat (excuse the expression) like a pig, and NEVER gain a pound. Why is it that they are expected to be accepting of the criticism, deal with the looks of judgmental people, men, women, thin, obese, and healthy people, who tell them, “You need to eat more” or “You are so-o-o skinny!!!” “You can afford to eat a dozen cookies, look at you”. While we are harping on larger women that they are not healthy, how is it that we can encourage unhealthy eating to those who are thin? What is the size debate really about?
Is this a feminist issue? Could the obsession about women and size (either too small or “plus-sized”) be more of a reflection of our allowing others to tell us where our value lies within our society based on size? Have women been so influenced by this thinking that we have started destroying our bodies?
Super models in all the popular magazines have continued to get thinner and thinner. Modeling agencies have been reported to actively pursue Anorexic models. The average woman model weighs up to 25% less than the typical woman and maintains a weight at about 15 to 20 percent below what is considered healthy for her age and height. Some models go through plastic surgery, some are “taped-up” to mold their bodies into more photogenic representations of themselves, and photos are airbrushed before going to print. By far, these body types and images are not the norm and unobtainable to the average individual, and far and wide, the constant force of these images on society makes us believe they should be. We need to remind ourselves and each other constantly (especially children) that these images are fake.
From the About-Face organization: “400-600 advertisements bombard us everyday in magazines, on billboards, on tv, and in newspapers. One in eleven has a direct message about beauty, not even counting the indirect messages.”
People in our culture perpetuate the ideal of thinness through their conversations, judgments and teasing of their peers and other family members. There is a vast association with shame and weight. Women are to keep their weight quiet, not telling others how much they weigh (thin or “plus-sized”), or to fit in, tell themselves and others that they do not want to be seen in “this bathing-suit” or “that pair of shorts” contributes to the sense that they should be ashamed of their body size.
Maybe all of this is a reflection of the two sides of the same coin and the pressures and demands made on women to be everything that the mainstream tells us to be. This affect on the individual to be a “more accepted part of the whole” by trying to take on these demands. The result is a culture fixated in splitting women into two categories, in fashion and society while further dividing women from each other.
Lacey Goodsell
Boise State Student
