When I was a teenager, I couldn’t find cute jeans in my size and so my mom — not a crafty lady, mind you — attempted to make me some. After many nights of sobbing and screaming, we emerged with one pair of “fitted boot cuts” that were more like “Andre the Giant’s larger cousin’s bell bottoms.” In the end, we finally just went to an actual seamstress. Crazy, right? I couldn’t find jeans to wrap around my luscious size 18 thighs and so I had to pay $100 to get them hand sewn. I was just so embarrassed of my bigger body that I’d try anything to fit in — even if it meant spending about 15 days and tons of money to get one fucking pair of American blue jeans. Thankfully, times have changed, and there’s definitely more selection than there ever was before. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than my mom, an old Singer, and ten boxes of double-ply Kleenex.
The New York Times highlights some of the ladies making progress like this possible — the fat fashion bloggers. These women are young, stylish, opinionated, and don’t fuck around when it comes to looking so fione.
Of course, articles like this always have talk about these women being “proud to wear a size in the double digits.” But, is proud the right word here? I think it’s more like comfortable with their bodies and demanding more of fashion, for all women. I’m not sure if any size is something to be “proud” of — just like no figure needs to be “flattered,” you know?
“People around me get uncomfortable when I refer to myself as fat,” said Amanda Valdez, 27, of Fresno, Calif. She writes for the blog Fashion, Love, and Martinis. “I embrace the word ‘fat.’ Fat does not define me, it doesn’t define my character, or where I’ve been in my life. I am just another girl who is posting about her life and style, and I happen to be fat.”
These women are just all about turning it out, and I think the best part is that they’re showing that option to aspiring fashion plates, as well. It’s a choice, a choice that every person gets to make, whether large or small. If you want to walking around in comfy floral muumuus or dressed like a Blockbuster employee because you think navy blue and khaki is an attractive color combo (raises hand) that’s OK. But if you’re into something a little fresher, you can be that, too. Or you can be both. Basically, you have options.