Feminist, Fat, and Fabulous Blog: Fat Fashion

I love fashion. I’m not so sure fashion loves me.

My personal style is rather feminine, I barely wear pants or jeans and I love headbands and bright lipstick.

I believe fashion is a political statement. What we wear reflects who we are. We may not think it as we put on those pair of shoes, as we put our hair into a ponytail, but it’s true. We may not even be consciously aware of the message we’re sending out, but every time we get dressed, we are conveying something about ourselves. It might be as simple as: “I like this top” or it may be as complex as: “I choose to wear these stockings because I want people to look at my legs/want to hide my legs/don’t give a damn what people think etc, etc.”

But what happens when we’re fat? If we can’t get the clothing that suits our personal style, and message we want to present, how do we reflect who we are?

Unless you’re someone who is talented with a needle and thread, savvy at searching for vintage, or well off enough to afford couture, what do you do?

After a certain size, most clothing in plus sizes (and plus-sized stores) fit into a few categories:

1. Dowdy, frumpy work wear
2. Dowdy, frumpy casual wear
3. Dowdy, frumpy, bedazzled night wear

Seeing a pattern yet?

I’m rather tired of work shirts that have no darting. No shape. Pants that are far too long. Clothes I wouldn’t even wear around the house (I’m lookin’ at you, Best and Less) and cheap jersey. So. Much. Cheap. Jersey.

I don’t know much about design or making clothing (I think that skipped a generation with me, as my mother is so very handy with a needle and thread), but what I do know is this: you can’t just grade up a pattern for plus sizes and expect it to work. It doesn’t.

I am a young, fashionable woman. I want to dress like one. My larger and smaller friends do too. I want to present myself in the way I want to present myself depending on my mood—fashionable, trendy, sexy, cute, casual, don’t care. Everything.

A small selection of stores are getting it right and are becoming better at trendier clothing for fat people. Myer have their Estelle, Monroe and Mink denim ranges, catered towards younger women. City Chic are stepping up their game (despite still being a tad bit overpriced for quality) and even the previously derided Best and Less have a youth oriented fashion range, including cute undies up to a 26.

Most of us, however, have shunned in store clothing for overseas shopping. With the dollar being pretty good at the moment, we can afford to buy from places like Evans, Dorothy Perkins, Yours, and ASOS. And that’s just in the UK. If I started on the US clothing sites, this post would be pages long.

I’ll admit I’m jealous of the amount of choice that the UK and US fat and fashionable people get compared to Australian people. I’m jealous of the number of ways they can choose to present themselves and express themselves through fashion and accessories. I want that.

So, until all Australian retailers of plus-sized clothing and stores decide to step it up, I will be limiting my spending of my fat dollars to clothing that caters to my body and style. I want to present myself as a fat and fashionable person. If I have to go out of Australia to do it, I will.