if they can design for miss piggy, then why not plus-sized people?

With the new Muppets movie opening here on January 12th, there has been a renewed interest in all things Muppet, and in particular, Miss Piggy.

I’ve always considered Miss Piggy a bit of a role model. I think she’s fearless, wears whatever she wants, gets what she wants on the sheer force of personality (and, ok, probably sheer FORCE; girl is brutal), and her don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. I kind of want to emulate that. I have a few favourite quotes of hers that have been circulating around. I think they speak volumes against judgement of women and doing your own thing:

Always, always dress for yourself. Otherwise, it gets way too crowded in the dressing room

Beauty is all about loving who you are. And if you are having problems with that, may I suggest that you try loving who I am?

Yeah, not 100% serious, but the general message is there. Love you for you. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your body and your face are your own, and they don’t belong to anybody else. You don’t have to be pleasing to anyone but yourself, and it’s okay to not be pleasing to yourself sometimes too. It’s also okay if you actively choose to please some people.

I think Miss Piggy would be behind what Kath, over at Fat Heffalump, has to say on the In Style interview with Miss Piggy and the issue of designers, plus sized bodies and clothing. Kath asks why, if these designers can modify or make special clothing for a puppet (granted, a fabulous one), they can’t make clothing for plus-sized bodies? I tend to agree.

Designers could argue this was a one off, that it’s easier to modify clothing than it is to make new clothing, that they’re much too busy, but when I’m buying custom made clothing on Etsy from independent designers who are willing to work with me and my body, who don’t have a large staff of people at their beck and call to follow design specifications, I have to call bullshit on that excuse.

I agree that if it is “easy” to make clothing for a Muppet that is a pig, then why isn’t it “easy” to make clothing for a plus sized body? I mean, if you’re going to be paying high end designer prices anyway, what difference is the extra cash towards extra fabric going to make? Is it that designers are okay accepting “fat” dollars and seeing “fat” people in their clothing as long as the people aren’t exactly people, but Muppets? Is it that they don’t know how to design for fat human bodies? Or aren’t willing to? What gives? I want to hear what Miss Piggy has to say on this!

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