Plus Size Fashion – Change for the Better! Plus size attitudes, not so much

How times have changed! When you were a teenager in the 60s, if you were overweight, your clothing options were very limited. I remember going shopping with my mom and there was only one store that really had clothes for you if you weren’t an “average” size. But then the section of these garments was called “gorditas”, how embarrassing is that !! The clothes were something my Aunt Sophie could wear at the church bazaar. At that time we called them “old woman” clothes. Well I’m an old lady now (well, middle-aged at least) and they still wouldn’t catch me dead in them. They had no style and they were just plain ugly!

Now teens have a host of clothing, dating sites, blogs, and websites dedicated just to them. This is fantastic. Now you can get a “plus size” prom dress or a “plus size” wedding dress and they are beautiful and elegant. What a wonderful time to be “not average.” We are BBW, big and beautiful women for those who are not addicted to the Internet like me.

Although we now have more options, American society still considers being fat ugly. We are stupid, lazy and we cannot control our eating. We sat all day eating chocolates and watching television. Fat jokes are one of the last acceptable cultural stereotypes. People can’t use racial or sexual slurs, but don’t think of dehumanizing an overweight person with a fat joke or comment. Fat people are described as losers who cannot attract the opposite sex. Most sitcoms have at least one episode with the proverbial blind date. Then a bunch of silly jokes come up, but all goes well in the end when they find out that the fat person is actually a good human being (how enlightened we are!).

So if we hate being fat, why don’t we change it? Well, how long can you go without eating? While an alcoholic can do without drinking, a nympho without sex, a smoker without cigarettes, an overweight person cannot do without food. You can change the amounts you consume and vary the menu but you still fight the battle at least three times a day. There is always that gnawing hunger.

It amazes me that 40 years after being “chubby” it still doesn’t matter how smart, funny, nice and generous a fat person is, the only thing that some people notice is their size. Very sad.