If the Clothes Fit, Wear It

Self Journey- Part IV

As a young woman in America who is thick, I get frustrated when I go shopping and come out empty-handed because I can never find anything that fits properly and feel good. Does that happen to anyone else?

When I was younger, I couldn’t go shopping with my mom for a while because I would get mad at the fact that nothing “looked good on me.” The same thing happened in college and I would get fed up, practically wanting to leave the mall. And as bad as it sounds, I would feel ashamed of my body type because stores didn’t have anything for a young girl that looked like me, and as a young woman who looks like me now.

I mainly struggle with finding jeans that fit me. Thicker people can probably attest to this; finding the right store that has jeans that can go over the thighs and be fitted about the waist is like finding a diamond in the rough. 

And I found my diamond. Charlotte Russe, a store that is strictly online now, was one of the best stores that were around because not only did their clothes fit me, but they were the only store I had seen with a plethora of options for plus sizes, which I don’t see in many stores that aren’t exclusive for plus sizes. 

Other stores just aren’t the same with carrying my size. I remember going into H&M to find a pair of jeans, and every type of jeans that they had were either 0-12 or 18 and up. I am in between a size 14 and 16, which is the average size of women in America. 

Over time, I noticed a trend with stores. When you go into stores, 6 out of 10 of them will have a small section in the corner that is dedicated to plus sizes. 2 out of 10 stores will have a bigger collection for plus sizes. And then there are the stores that don’t carry plus sizes, or have their sizes run small; so their extra-large might fit a large or smaller.

That is the issue. Why can’t we cater more to curvier women who aren’t being represented in fashion wear? I constantly see this when I go shopping (obviously not right now because of COVID-19), and I get frustrated when I can’t find anything that looks good on me.

The struggle is finding a place(s) that you know you can rely on. Since Charlotte Russe closed down its stores, I have a hard time finding a new reliable store. I tried online shopping and have found boutiques like Boohoo that I can trust.

The thing with online boutiques is that they are definitely hit and miss, and you have to pray that you found the right website. I personally like going into a store and trying on clothes. But at the same time, online boutiques offer more options for people who have a curvier silhouette or thicker body shape and they know how to fit the curves properly.

Why can’t we find these options in stores at the mall? It’s discouraging to go into stores just to find out they only carry certain sizes

Throughout the years, I learned that curvy women, plus size models, anyone who is under a certain size should never feel discouraged. I learned from a young age that I will always have a hard time finding properly fitted clothes and I will always have a hard time figuring out what stores will cater to young, curvy women. Some stores cater to those sizes 16 and up which is great, but we need to see more representation for larger sizes in all stores.

I mix and match tops and pants, so I don’t look flat. I wear my crop tops and fitted dresses because there is no rule saying a young woman with a stomach, a big ass, and thighs can’t wear them. And that’s that. But it’s not always easy finding the confident clothes I want to wear when stores aren’t giving bigger girls the chance to buy them.

Looking at Instagram, the people I follow and the people I see on my explore page are women who are not skinny, and yet they have such a confidence in wearing whatever they want to wear and embracing who they are. I strive to maintain that type of confidence that those women have because it is extraordinary to see thick women show off their bodies in a tasteful and classy way.

I have accepted my body and my curves, and you should too. Clothing brands need to catch up.