Thank you for this! What a great way to start a Wednesday. I recently canceled my paid subscription (kept the free) to a substack by a creator who I've followed for over ten years (someone who is on that Top 25 list) because while there was some content I really appreciated, at the end of the day the majority of her content was sharing what she wears and 1) it is v neutral toned which is not me and 2) none of the brands she shared would fit me and she also didn't list what sizes they do carry, and I'm sorry, but if you write about fashion/style and link to sites, I think the least you can do is list the size range. If you're buying from those brands you should already be aware of their sizing and it shouldn't be extra work. I noticed another creator who I followed around the same time who is more ~me~ in her tastes does this and it finally just clicked that I don't have to give my money to people who don't! I was thinking about this as I read yesterday's Burnt Toast piece.
Anyway, when I did cancel, I left a respectful feedback note detailing why I was canceling. I don't know if anything will change, but who knows. Ironically, when I was writing the comment, I realized years earlier when this same person had a podcast, I stopped listening because they only interviewed straight sized creators and I left feedback then. And eventually they did have some plus sized creators on the show.
Oooh, thanks for sharing and I am personally so curious about which creator it was.
This is a good reminder to me to list the size ranges up front--something I have done but kind of fell off! But I agree that is a helpful way to save people a little time and disappointment and maybe even acknowledge that nothing is going to fit everyone. Like I think it would go a long way for me if some of these creators did that.
Yeah, I understand that not every straight sized person is going to shop from brands that offer plus sizes (just like every plus size person isn't going to shop from brands that cater to all plus sizes), but I think if you include the size range when sharing something it at least saves someone from going to a site to see if their size is carried and ultimately being disappointed when it doesn't?
This is so smart. And I love that you left that feedback when you unsubscribed bc most Substack writers do read those notes and hopefully it planted a seed!
Baffled. Why would straight size wearers not shop from brands that offer plus sizes? What difference does it make to them? Do you mean that some straight sized women wouldn't shop at Oddbird (for example) because their sizing includes 5x? [Full discloser: I'm straight size.]
I don’t know that it’s intentional (in this person’s case), I think it’s just kind of a fact that they’re oblivious to more than anything because so many of the more luxury brands (and higher end) some of these people shop from have never made plus sizes.
I understand. Yes, In making choices about where to shop, many of us don't consider whether the brand is inclusive. In all honesty, perhaps the reason I do is because I'm nearly 6 feet tall so sensitive to sizing.
Your comment inspired me to do the same thing! Feels good. And if you’re not referring to The Wardrobe Edit here then that Substack must have a twin lol. I was so excited to find a UK-based fashion writer too, sigh.
Corinne, thanks for this great essay! You articulated so many ambivalent feelings I have about the popular fashion Substacks. I LOVE fashion, but there’s a collective sameness that is also exclusionary. It gets frustrating when you’re never the target audience. It makes me doubly appreciative of the community you’re building here!
This was such a well researched and thoughtful essay! It never even occurred to me to follow other fashion Substack’s because I assumed they wouldn’t have anything for me. I am going to browse Girls of a Certain Age just to see, but overall am just so grateful for Big Undies! Corinne, I actually think about your style all the time now because I love it so much, and Victoria has a very similar aesthetic to me so between the two of you, I feel well covered when it comes to fashion!
I am a longtime Cup of Jo (Big Salad on Substack) fan, going back 15+ years, and have been thrilled at Joanna’s gradual but significant shift to be inclusive by hiring fantastic writers, but the fashion content has never spoken to me. Her style and a lot of the screenshots in this essay remind me that boring, basic styles on thin bodies are held up as fashion while the same styles on a fat body like mine would be seen as lazy. (Like that post that I think originated on Twitter that points out that a picture circulating of two headless fat women in jean shorts, white sneakers and tucked in t-shirts would be considered high fashion if they were thin but instead was being ridiculed because it was on fat people.)
On that note, I feel like mainstream fashion has an obsession with elevated basics, like the best white t-shirt, that I am never going to spend a lot of money on because I would rather go cheap on those so I can spend money on the clothes that are more quirky or statement — clothes I always longed for as a fat kid and into fat adulthood. I think this is why I am rarely excited by Universal Standard because they make expensive versions of basic clothes that I haven’t struggled to find in my size (4X in most things, but often a 2X shirt will fit me if there is stretch).
Complicating this, I am shifting into feeling less like I need to be a peacock when it comes to dressing for outside the house. I think a lot of my desire to wear something quirky and memorable was a way of apologizing for my size and needing people to see me as fashionable, and as I turn 40 this year, I truly relish giving less of a fuck and being able to leave the house in something boring. So maybe I am now shifting into caring more about basics!
Laura, +1 to thin “stylish” being fat “lazy” - totally agree! Also on US, which so frequently misses the mark for me from a style perspective as well. I have to say, though, the older I get the more fun I want to have with clothes - my biggest problem is a too-boring wardrobe at the moment!
I want to love Universal Standard I REALLY DO but they give me “office administrator” when I expected them to come out as a solvo to Everlane’s stupid sizing. J. crew does stay more “on trend” and their basics just tend to have a little more character than their Universal Standard counterparts.
Agree that US styling often feels flat. I keep trying to interrogate for myself if it’s really meh, or is that some internalized nonsense about seeing “elevated basics” on bodies that aren’t runway models. But also, would it kill them to do a few fun prints!!
Or like, take a risk on a broderie fabric! Give me a sailor moment! Universal Standard is good in that it is always generally about the same tempo — you know what you're in for. But what I want and need is someone who is keeping up with the trend cycle ever so slightly.
I like maybe 5% of what Universal Standard does and that’s generous - most of it is pretty boring imo, or like, boring but jazzed up with a weird zipper? I do have a couple pieces I really like and I’m glad it exists for the broad size range but mostly it’s a check but skip shopping site for me.
Is J. Crew that much better though? Like are the clothes / styles / colors so superior or is it just the styling / presentation? This is what I can never decide.
I buy maybe 50% of my closet from J. Crew at this point. They have great sales and will occasionally put out something that at least mimics the current trend. They had a little "Italian Summer" moment this year with lots of sweet cotton tops and sundresses and it really filled my cup.
This post is also making me think of “when plus sized brands let you down.” I’ve seen a number of small makers come out in the last few years plotting to be the next big thing in plus sized fashion but their designs always fail to wow. I was really gunning for “Wydr” to become my new favorite wide shoe source and even participated in their customer research before they launched. But, when they did launch, every item I argued as being boring or basic was the one that got picked to make the launch. I know fat people aren’t a monolith but there has to be some reason why everything shakes out to look so similar once it makes it through the adjusted size grading/market research process.
This is funny to me because I’m complaining about the same thing with Universal Standard, but with Wydr, I like their boring basics best of all! But I like my shoes to be very basic/plain.
I think I also like their most boring things too LOL but I can find the same thing for a cheaper price point/higher quality materials at like, Macys. I was hoping Wydr would deliver like a fun, Matisse or Shop Peche vibe for folks with wide feet. Instead, it feels a little Torrid :-|
THIS today!!!!! We've needed you and Big Undies, Corinne! I canceled even my free subscriptions to many fashion substacks (or those who weren't necessarily about fashion but somehow always loaded with affiliate links) awhile back because I realized I wasn't even opening the emails anymore--they contained nothing for someone like me (fat, living on a low fixed income). This essay is powerful, and I'm thankful for it and for you. Xoxox
This was such a thoughtful and important post, Corinne. Thank you for giving voice to what I think so many of us have experienced through the ubiquity of fashion Substacks: uniformity in both inaccessibility and style. I’ve read many of these over the years, from when I was straight sized to now when I am decidedly not. The sucker punch opening up a newsletter to find a list of beautiful clothes that are so distinctly Not For Me (because they don’t come in my size, because they cost too much) is an experience I’m no longer willing to wave away as just fat person tax. All of these folks can and should do better.
I’ll also say that it’s been interesting to feel the overwhelming SAMENESS, particularly as a non-dress-wearing queer woman, as both exclusionary and so boring. I agree that weirdness feels so much more compelling! I follow a fashion influencer type on IG who is all about high fashion, the most Not For Me on earth; somehow, because it’s so obviously unattainable for almost all humans, instead I can just look at the wonderful unique weirdness of the works, and it’s so much more liberating and invigorating than one more floral dress.
ANYWAY. Just thank you. I’m so grateful for your voice.
This! While I am a queer femme who wears dresses, everything feels so boring lately and not queer. The sameness you point out is everywhere it feels, especially in the spaces I can afford to sho in. Like I want to queer my clotbing, I want weird, bizarre, colorful clothing that celebrates me and my body and my queerness. But I find myself sized and/or priced out of most of the aesthetics I enjoy that fit this bill. Gah! Thank you for adding the extra dimension of queerness to the mix ❤️
Yes yes Lauren!! I want to queer my clothing so badly but it feels extra hard to do in a bigger body I’ve defaulted to lotsa linen (works well here in NM) but wish for something more/different/better/queerer and am finding that so hard to find. The super weird and fun things I’ve found in bigger sizes are so frequently dresses and that’s just not what I want! Anyway, big queer solidarity love your way.
Hooray for NM!! Nice thing about NM is nobody blinks at my all linen all the time. Although frankly pretty sure I could wear a plastic bag and nobody would blink - it’s one of the things I love most about this state!
I’ve also defaulted to a lot of linen here in MN. I feel lucky that dresses are my aesthetic because there are some amazing dresses from State the Label, but again the price is higher than my budget right now. My wife, who wears “men’s” clothing struggles with this too! She’s in a large body and wants fun shirts in beautiful colors and prints and it is so hard to find anything she loves in a size and style that makes her feel good in her body. Anywho, big queer solidarity back at you!
This makes me feel so seen Corinne. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen an item that is supposedly “plus-sized” and seems perfectly me, only to find it doesn’t come in my size measurements. Even as a tween/teenager (I’ve been fat since elementary school) when I desperately wanted to shop where the cool girls shopped but was sized out.
It was as such a revelation to find SellTradePlus and get introduced to so many brands with clothes that made me feel me. Going back to graduate school coupled with all the changes in my body have sized me out of some brands and prices me out of many brands that carry clothes in my size that make me feel like my best “me”. It has been a sad time for me, frankly. So I really appreciate the discourse about mid-priced brands with faltering quality.
Thank you for building this community and for writing such thoughtful essays.
This was a fantastic essay and really resonated. I've been a reader/subscriber to a few of the substacks you mentioned and have either cancelled because all of it was too aspirational/unreachable (price-wise and size-wise) or I'm still reading (say, 5 Things) but with low-grade irritation. That's probably a sign I should unsubscribe and leave some feedback.
Also, this topic connected for me in a big way to when there is some type of garment that is really trending but very hard to find in plus sizes. I'm thinking specifically about horseshoe/barrel leg jeans which seem to be everywhere in fashion influencer world but many of the most ubiquitous ones don't even come close to touching plus sizes (citizens of humanity or le bon shop, say) or when they do something gets lost with the grading and they translate to being more of a wide-leg jean style in plus sizes.
I don’t follow any style influencers…except YOU, Corinne! But can anyone tell me WTH is going on with Target? I buy some of their clothes online, as they have a nice selection of 2X and 3X (and 4X), but there’s almost nothing in the stores, and I think they have in fact pulled all 4Xs from their brick and mortar locations. The Ava Viv merchandise now bleeds into the maternity clothes. The selection is just sad, and as a Red Card fanatic who spends thousands of dollars a year there (we’re talking food, cosmetics, and just about everything else), I’m pissed. Sorry if this is too off-topic. 😬
I don’t know what is going on but I’m seeing it even with the kids’ sizes- theoretically the m husky size would perfectly fit my child and I have never seen a single item in store or online, they are always sold out!! As it is he can still wear the 10-12 size for now but they are way too long for him. I was at Target today for school supplies and saw nothing above 2X and literally only one wall of Ava Viv. And I’m all for people who want to wear crop tops but I never have and it feels like everything is cropped!!
They also completely stopped carrying maternity at the closest Target to me, which really sucked when I was pregnant and needed some black pants in a hurry to attend a funeral… I guess they assume people can buy stuff online just as easily but there are so many situations where it’s way better to be able to go in person to shop for clothes.
I’m unfollowing the fashion stuff except you, Virginia, Dacy and Jessica thank you I’m straight sized but I want to see real people in real clothes and I really don’t care about $900 pants or $2000 sandals
I'm glad you're in this space writing and researching pieces like this. I can tell how much work went into writing this and I'm so appreciative. I wish I knew the magic wand answer to this. If I did, I'd sure as shit have cooler clothes. I don't disagree with the sentiment I see online sometimes that puts the onus on straight-size people to advocate for plus sizes. But like, no one's going to that. The amount of people close to me who still have no idea I can't walk into Target, Old Navy or TJ Maxx and walk out with an outfit. It's wild. And I talk about this all the time! I'm worried no one cares but us, and as we know, no one is listening to us.
I keep thinking about this since you posted it. So thoughtful and well-expressed. It strikes me as bonkers that when the overwhelming majority of American women wear plus sizes, our shopping options are limited to a few specialty stores, the Internet, and neglected and poorly stocked dark corners in some department stores. Do retailers think fat women don't want to buy clothes? They are leaving money on the table by excluding so many of us. If the world made sense, plus size stores would be the default and there would be a few specialty straight sized stores. I'm curious what the numbers would look like if you broke it down by age, i.e. are there more straight sized women between the ages of 18 - 25 and retailers are catering to them because us middle aged and older folks don't buy as many clothes? Or am I giving retailers too much credit by imagining that there is a rationale for their exclusion of plus sizes, when really it just comes down to bias against fat women?
That’s a great question and I don’t know the answer! But I definitely agree and see your point that it could really be a combo of age and anti-fat bias!
I have so many thoughts on this. It all continues to contribute to the overwhelming amount of time and money I have spent trying to curate my style with the dismal options available to us. Forever feeling caught between what fits, what’s affordable, and what fits in.
Thank you for this! What a great way to start a Wednesday. I recently canceled my paid subscription (kept the free) to a substack by a creator who I've followed for over ten years (someone who is on that Top 25 list) because while there was some content I really appreciated, at the end of the day the majority of her content was sharing what she wears and 1) it is v neutral toned which is not me and 2) none of the brands she shared would fit me and she also didn't list what sizes they do carry, and I'm sorry, but if you write about fashion/style and link to sites, I think the least you can do is list the size range. If you're buying from those brands you should already be aware of their sizing and it shouldn't be extra work. I noticed another creator who I followed around the same time who is more ~me~ in her tastes does this and it finally just clicked that I don't have to give my money to people who don't! I was thinking about this as I read yesterday's Burnt Toast piece.
Anyway, when I did cancel, I left a respectful feedback note detailing why I was canceling. I don't know if anything will change, but who knows. Ironically, when I was writing the comment, I realized years earlier when this same person had a podcast, I stopped listening because they only interviewed straight sized creators and I left feedback then. And eventually they did have some plus sized creators on the show.
Oooh, thanks for sharing and I am personally so curious about which creator it was.
This is a good reminder to me to list the size ranges up front--something I have done but kind of fell off! But I agree that is a helpful way to save people a little time and disappointment and maybe even acknowledge that nothing is going to fit everyone. Like I think it would go a long way for me if some of these creators did that.
I'll dm you lol
Yeah, I understand that not every straight sized person is going to shop from brands that offer plus sizes (just like every plus size person isn't going to shop from brands that cater to all plus sizes), but I think if you include the size range when sharing something it at least saves someone from going to a site to see if their size is carried and ultimately being disappointed when it doesn't?
This is so smart. And I love that you left that feedback when you unsubscribed bc most Substack writers do read those notes and hopefully it planted a seed!
Baffled. Why would straight size wearers not shop from brands that offer plus sizes? What difference does it make to them? Do you mean that some straight sized women wouldn't shop at Oddbird (for example) because their sizing includes 5x? [Full discloser: I'm straight size.]
I don’t know that it’s intentional (in this person’s case), I think it’s just kind of a fact that they’re oblivious to more than anything because so many of the more luxury brands (and higher end) some of these people shop from have never made plus sizes.
I understand. Yes, In making choices about where to shop, many of us don't consider whether the brand is inclusive. In all honesty, perhaps the reason I do is because I'm nearly 6 feet tall so sensitive to sizing.
Your comment inspired me to do the same thing! Feels good. And if you’re not referring to The Wardrobe Edit here then that Substack must have a twin lol. I was so excited to find a UK-based fashion writer too, sigh.
Corinne, thanks for this great essay! You articulated so many ambivalent feelings I have about the popular fashion Substacks. I LOVE fashion, but there’s a collective sameness that is also exclusionary. It gets frustrating when you’re never the target audience. It makes me doubly appreciative of the community you’re building here!
This was such a well researched and thoughtful essay! It never even occurred to me to follow other fashion Substack’s because I assumed they wouldn’t have anything for me. I am going to browse Girls of a Certain Age just to see, but overall am just so grateful for Big Undies! Corinne, I actually think about your style all the time now because I love it so much, and Victoria has a very similar aesthetic to me so between the two of you, I feel well covered when it comes to fashion!
I am a longtime Cup of Jo (Big Salad on Substack) fan, going back 15+ years, and have been thrilled at Joanna’s gradual but significant shift to be inclusive by hiring fantastic writers, but the fashion content has never spoken to me. Her style and a lot of the screenshots in this essay remind me that boring, basic styles on thin bodies are held up as fashion while the same styles on a fat body like mine would be seen as lazy. (Like that post that I think originated on Twitter that points out that a picture circulating of two headless fat women in jean shorts, white sneakers and tucked in t-shirts would be considered high fashion if they were thin but instead was being ridiculed because it was on fat people.)
On that note, I feel like mainstream fashion has an obsession with elevated basics, like the best white t-shirt, that I am never going to spend a lot of money on because I would rather go cheap on those so I can spend money on the clothes that are more quirky or statement — clothes I always longed for as a fat kid and into fat adulthood. I think this is why I am rarely excited by Universal Standard because they make expensive versions of basic clothes that I haven’t struggled to find in my size (4X in most things, but often a 2X shirt will fit me if there is stretch).
Complicating this, I am shifting into feeling less like I need to be a peacock when it comes to dressing for outside the house. I think a lot of my desire to wear something quirky and memorable was a way of apologizing for my size and needing people to see me as fashionable, and as I turn 40 this year, I truly relish giving less of a fuck and being able to leave the house in something boring. So maybe I am now shifting into caring more about basics!
Laura, +1 to thin “stylish” being fat “lazy” - totally agree! Also on US, which so frequently misses the mark for me from a style perspective as well. I have to say, though, the older I get the more fun I want to have with clothes - my biggest problem is a too-boring wardrobe at the moment!
I want to love Universal Standard I REALLY DO but they give me “office administrator” when I expected them to come out as a solvo to Everlane’s stupid sizing. J. crew does stay more “on trend” and their basics just tend to have a little more character than their Universal Standard counterparts.
Agree that US styling often feels flat. I keep trying to interrogate for myself if it’s really meh, or is that some internalized nonsense about seeing “elevated basics” on bodies that aren’t runway models. But also, would it kill them to do a few fun prints!!
I agree, I also think it comes down to color palettes, they don’t seem to choose many trendier or more elevated colors.
Or like, take a risk on a broderie fabric! Give me a sailor moment! Universal Standard is good in that it is always generally about the same tempo — you know what you're in for. But what I want and need is someone who is keeping up with the trend cycle ever so slightly.
I like maybe 5% of what Universal Standard does and that’s generous - most of it is pretty boring imo, or like, boring but jazzed up with a weird zipper? I do have a couple pieces I really like and I’m glad it exists for the broad size range but mostly it’s a check but skip shopping site for me.
Is J. Crew that much better though? Like are the clothes / styles / colors so superior or is it just the styling / presentation? This is what I can never decide.
Nah, most of J. Crew is also boring.
I buy maybe 50% of my closet from J. Crew at this point. They have great sales and will occasionally put out something that at least mimics the current trend. They had a little "Italian Summer" moment this year with lots of sweet cotton tops and sundresses and it really filled my cup.
This post is also making me think of “when plus sized brands let you down.” I’ve seen a number of small makers come out in the last few years plotting to be the next big thing in plus sized fashion but their designs always fail to wow. I was really gunning for “Wydr” to become my new favorite wide shoe source and even participated in their customer research before they launched. But, when they did launch, every item I argued as being boring or basic was the one that got picked to make the launch. I know fat people aren’t a monolith but there has to be some reason why everything shakes out to look so similar once it makes it through the adjusted size grading/market research process.
This is funny to me because I’m complaining about the same thing with Universal Standard, but with Wydr, I like their boring basics best of all! But I like my shoes to be very basic/plain.
I think I also like their most boring things too LOL but I can find the same thing for a cheaper price point/higher quality materials at like, Macys. I was hoping Wydr would deliver like a fun, Matisse or Shop Peche vibe for folks with wide feet. Instead, it feels a little Torrid :-|
THIS today!!!!! We've needed you and Big Undies, Corinne! I canceled even my free subscriptions to many fashion substacks (or those who weren't necessarily about fashion but somehow always loaded with affiliate links) awhile back because I realized I wasn't even opening the emails anymore--they contained nothing for someone like me (fat, living on a low fixed income). This essay is powerful, and I'm thankful for it and for you. Xoxox
I'm so glad you feel a little more seen here! <3<3<3
You're making a big difference for me, and for everyone like me, Corinne! I appreciate you so much!!! <3
This was such a thoughtful and important post, Corinne. Thank you for giving voice to what I think so many of us have experienced through the ubiquity of fashion Substacks: uniformity in both inaccessibility and style. I’ve read many of these over the years, from when I was straight sized to now when I am decidedly not. The sucker punch opening up a newsletter to find a list of beautiful clothes that are so distinctly Not For Me (because they don’t come in my size, because they cost too much) is an experience I’m no longer willing to wave away as just fat person tax. All of these folks can and should do better.
I’ll also say that it’s been interesting to feel the overwhelming SAMENESS, particularly as a non-dress-wearing queer woman, as both exclusionary and so boring. I agree that weirdness feels so much more compelling! I follow a fashion influencer type on IG who is all about high fashion, the most Not For Me on earth; somehow, because it’s so obviously unattainable for almost all humans, instead I can just look at the wonderful unique weirdness of the works, and it’s so much more liberating and invigorating than one more floral dress.
ANYWAY. Just thank you. I’m so grateful for your voice.
This! While I am a queer femme who wears dresses, everything feels so boring lately and not queer. The sameness you point out is everywhere it feels, especially in the spaces I can afford to sho in. Like I want to queer my clotbing, I want weird, bizarre, colorful clothing that celebrates me and my body and my queerness. But I find myself sized and/or priced out of most of the aesthetics I enjoy that fit this bill. Gah! Thank you for adding the extra dimension of queerness to the mix ❤️
Yes yes Lauren!! I want to queer my clothing so badly but it feels extra hard to do in a bigger body I’ve defaulted to lotsa linen (works well here in NM) but wish for something more/different/better/queerer and am finding that so hard to find. The super weird and fun things I’ve found in bigger sizes are so frequently dresses and that’s just not what I want! Anyway, big queer solidarity love your way.
Yes, love this. And NM SOLIDARITY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hooray for NM!! Nice thing about NM is nobody blinks at my all linen all the time. Although frankly pretty sure I could wear a plastic bag and nobody would blink - it’s one of the things I love most about this state!
I’ve also defaulted to a lot of linen here in MN. I feel lucky that dresses are my aesthetic because there are some amazing dresses from State the Label, but again the price is higher than my budget right now. My wife, who wears “men’s” clothing struggles with this too! She’s in a large body and wants fun shirts in beautiful colors and prints and it is so hard to find anything she loves in a size and style that makes her feel good in her body. Anywho, big queer solidarity back at you!
Constantly recommending https://www.instagram.com/redskyshop?igsh=ZXluZGE3YWQxeHdj in Dacy/Victoria/this Substack but it’s the best and I THINK v inclusive (there are some dresses though!)
(Also she’s Canadian but very likely ships to the US)
Thank you for sharing this! I appreciate your perspective.
This makes me feel so seen Corinne. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen an item that is supposedly “plus-sized” and seems perfectly me, only to find it doesn’t come in my size measurements. Even as a tween/teenager (I’ve been fat since elementary school) when I desperately wanted to shop where the cool girls shopped but was sized out.
It was as such a revelation to find SellTradePlus and get introduced to so many brands with clothes that made me feel me. Going back to graduate school coupled with all the changes in my body have sized me out of some brands and prices me out of many brands that carry clothes in my size that make me feel like my best “me”. It has been a sad time for me, frankly. So I really appreciate the discourse about mid-priced brands with faltering quality.
Thank you for building this community and for writing such thoughtful essays.
Also, the rage is real. I feel a lot of rage about not being able to wear what I want.
SUCH VALID RAGE
This was a fantastic essay and really resonated. I've been a reader/subscriber to a few of the substacks you mentioned and have either cancelled because all of it was too aspirational/unreachable (price-wise and size-wise) or I'm still reading (say, 5 Things) but with low-grade irritation. That's probably a sign I should unsubscribe and leave some feedback.
Also, this topic connected for me in a big way to when there is some type of garment that is really trending but very hard to find in plus sizes. I'm thinking specifically about horseshoe/barrel leg jeans which seem to be everywhere in fashion influencer world but many of the most ubiquitous ones don't even come close to touching plus sizes (citizens of humanity or le bon shop, say) or when they do something gets lost with the grading and they translate to being more of a wide-leg jean style in plus sizes.
I don’t follow any style influencers…except YOU, Corinne! But can anyone tell me WTH is going on with Target? I buy some of their clothes online, as they have a nice selection of 2X and 3X (and 4X), but there’s almost nothing in the stores, and I think they have in fact pulled all 4Xs from their brick and mortar locations. The Ava Viv merchandise now bleeds into the maternity clothes. The selection is just sad, and as a Red Card fanatic who spends thousands of dollars a year there (we’re talking food, cosmetics, and just about everything else), I’m pissed. Sorry if this is too off-topic. 😬
I don’t know what is going on but I’m seeing it even with the kids’ sizes- theoretically the m husky size would perfectly fit my child and I have never seen a single item in store or online, they are always sold out!! As it is he can still wear the 10-12 size for now but they are way too long for him. I was at Target today for school supplies and saw nothing above 2X and literally only one wall of Ava Viv. And I’m all for people who want to wear crop tops but I never have and it feels like everything is cropped!!
They also completely stopped carrying maternity at the closest Target to me, which really sucked when I was pregnant and needed some black pants in a hurry to attend a funeral… I guess they assume people can buy stuff online just as easily but there are so many situations where it’s way better to be able to go in person to shop for clothes.
GREAT essay-and really encapsulates many reasons I went from working in fashion retail to losing total interest in the industry
I’m unfollowing the fashion stuff except you, Virginia, Dacy and Jessica thank you I’m straight sized but I want to see real people in real clothes and I really don’t care about $900 pants or $2000 sandals
Loved reading this, lots to think about! ❤️
I'm glad you're in this space writing and researching pieces like this. I can tell how much work went into writing this and I'm so appreciative. I wish I knew the magic wand answer to this. If I did, I'd sure as shit have cooler clothes. I don't disagree with the sentiment I see online sometimes that puts the onus on straight-size people to advocate for plus sizes. But like, no one's going to that. The amount of people close to me who still have no idea I can't walk into Target, Old Navy or TJ Maxx and walk out with an outfit. It's wild. And I talk about this all the time! I'm worried no one cares but us, and as we know, no one is listening to us.
Terrificly expansive essay! 🙏🏻
I keep thinking about this since you posted it. So thoughtful and well-expressed. It strikes me as bonkers that when the overwhelming majority of American women wear plus sizes, our shopping options are limited to a few specialty stores, the Internet, and neglected and poorly stocked dark corners in some department stores. Do retailers think fat women don't want to buy clothes? They are leaving money on the table by excluding so many of us. If the world made sense, plus size stores would be the default and there would be a few specialty straight sized stores. I'm curious what the numbers would look like if you broke it down by age, i.e. are there more straight sized women between the ages of 18 - 25 and retailers are catering to them because us middle aged and older folks don't buy as many clothes? Or am I giving retailers too much credit by imagining that there is a rationale for their exclusion of plus sizes, when really it just comes down to bias against fat women?
That’s a great question and I don’t know the answer! But I definitely agree and see your point that it could really be a combo of age and anti-fat bias!
Bravo, Corinne! 👏🏼
I have so many thoughts on this. It all continues to contribute to the overwhelming amount of time and money I have spent trying to curate my style with the dismal options available to us. Forever feeling caught between what fits, what’s affordable, and what fits in.