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But that could be changing.
itoggle caption Mary McLain/NPR
“There’s nothing, basically,” she says. “I have no choices, and you feel like a minority.”
And yet she’s not.
Many people reading this story might be thinking that a plus-size movement is not a good thing, given all of the very real health concerns around obesity. But Torrid senior designer Munoz says that’s a separate issue.
“We want more options in clothing and we want more representation of body types in the media,” Holliday said in an interview with NPR’s Here & Now. “And I think it would be silly for major designers to not really care about the plus-size consumer, because we have money to spend.”
Online shopping tends to be how most plus-size consumers answer that perennial question: What should I wear? Sites like ModCloth and Simply Be offer more items in more sizes. Analyst Marshal Cohen says even the large department stores have more offerings on their websites than they do on the racks. For a lot of Americans, he says, in-store shopping is not a positive experience.
Plus-size actor Melissa McCarthy is about to launch her own clothing line. Another full-figured actor, Rebel Wilson, is designing one, too. Meghan Trainor’s smash hit “All About That Bass” is all about having more to love, and People magazine made headlines when it recently put size 22 model Tess Holliday on the cover.
“We’re not here to encourage people to be bigger. We’re not here to encourage people to be overweight. I think we are addressing the reality of what is going on in our world,” Munoz says.
“It’s got really cute clothes that fit me, and I can just go do what I need to do, pick what I need to pick. And it’s great. It makes me feel normal,” she says.
There’s a plus-size movement afoot.
Aviva Copaken, 29, was at Torrid shopping for a new bathing suit. She said it’s the only place she likes to shop.
On a recent afternoon, there was plenty of foot traffic at Torrid in Gaithersburg, Md. It’s a chain known for offering the latest styles in plus sizes. Full-figured mannequins display lacy tank tops, fitted dresses with bold prints and bright colors, and even skinny jeans.
Shopping just about everywhere else, she says, is exasperating.
“Trench coats, capri pants, fluid dressing, cocktail dresses that were absolutely wonderful — and it’s on point. It’s anything done for a person who would be wearing a size 8. And I think that probably has taken Lane Bryant in a new direction for its customer,” Talley says.
Plus-size women have struggled in the past to find fashionable clothing options. But, with celebrities bringing plus size to the forefront, the fashion industry might wake up. Mary McLain/NPR hide caption
If you’re a woman of a certain size, shopping for clothes can be a downer. Even though the average American woman is around a size 14, most department store racks are devoted to smaller bodies.
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