I love my body.

Great post! Sizeism in clothing choices is such a horrible, sneaky way of trying to coerce women into feeling bad about and policing themselves. I'm glad you're fighting back.

Coming up this weekend in NYC there's going to be a Fat Girl Flea Market where women from all over the country send clothes size XL and above, and women of size can have an awesome, non-judgemental shopping experience involving clothes that are both flattering and cheap, for once. So I guess there's some hope for the world.

Aw, no way! I will TOTALLY take the train up there then.

"This year’s Flea Market takes place from 12 noon-8:30pm, on Saturday July 8th and from 11am-5pm on Sunday July 9th, at the LGBT Community Center, located at 208 West 13th St, between 7th and Greenwich Avenues."

What subway stop would that be? The train is going to drop me at Penn Station.

I guess I'd take the blue line from 34th/Penn station to 14th st./8th ave.?

Yup, you can get there that way. Just don't call it the blue line, call it the A, C, E, or everyone will think you're from out of town. :)

I'm so happy you're able to come to it! I hope you have a great time! I won't be at the flea market, but I could meet you for lunch or something if you wanted. No pressure though--I know it can be weird meeting people from the internet, and besides, you might not want to tear yourself away from the flea market.

"I forget that I am supposed to be ashamed of that until I go shopping." Whatta great line.

I'm glad that Ellen could point you in the direction of something interesting. I hope you'll update your blog again to let us know how that goes.

But good for you owning your body and feeling comfortable in it. It's amazing how few women do.

Well, you know those Philadelphians can't do a thing once they leave their country hick town for the big city. Now do I have to say each letter individually, or can I just call it "ACE"? ^_^

I'm not sure if lunch is going to work. See, I'm gonna take the train about 8:30 from Philly, which should get me in New York about 11:30, and I'll probably just grab lunch at the closest place I can find, because I kind of want to get there as soon as the flea market starts. (I know it gets new clothes throughout the day, but I gotta leave before 6 or 7, or else my parents will freak out because I'd be getting home about 11 pm.) Plus I might check out Bluestockings while I'm in the city.

P.S. Thanks for telling me about this. I'm so excited. You get a hug. *hugs*

Hehe. Thanks. I will probably update..... after I spend Sunday sleeping off my shopping spree.

But yeah, it's true. The only time I feel bad about myself is when I go shopping. Someone should tell retailers that happy shoppers are more likely to impulse buy.

I mean, if you're comfortable in the clothing stores typically sell as plus-size, good for you. I'm just saying that they will not work for me: future young urban professional. Tent dresses flatter no one, though. And if plus-size women wore things that really flattered their figures, they would look really nice. But unless you're getting custom work done, you're going to be hard-pressed to find something like that. And I'm one of the smallest plus-sizes out there, with a proportional/hourglass body---if I can't find stuff that works, there sure isn't going to be anything for my pear-shaped sisters.

(Right after I wrote this, I checked up on my other blogs, and on Feministe there was a similar post written, with a very funny comment thread, but it was also kind of sad.)

I used to call it "Ace" when I was little, but now I'm hardcore and say each letter individually. Haha. I think the reason behind it is that all of us in NYC don't want to let anyone forget how many subway lines we have. (And some people still call subways IND and IRT, based on a system that ended before I was born. I think this is also because they are snobs and want you to know how long they have been living here.)

The quickest way to Bluestockings is to take the F at 14th/6th Ave. to 2nd Ave. I saw in your profile that you're 18, so I'm going to add, just FYI, that Babeland, the "famously feminist sex toy store" is just a few blocks away from Bluestockings. Also on Rivington St. there's this great store called Economy Candy if you need a sugar fix. (I just realized I could babble forever about all the places I love in that neighborhood, so I'll stop now.)

Have a great time and blog about it!

I am a shopaholic...i admit it. But I always start out going into stores excited about the possibility of things to try on and buy, and about an hour into the trip, i get ready to throw my hands up and say, "screw it." I guess part of it is that my best friend whom I usually shop with is a size 0, and almost everything she tries on looks great. And even if it doesn't, at the least the clothes aren't too unflattering. Meanwhile, I struggle to find things that don't look like crap on my body.

I feel pressured that way too! Just because one's body doesn't look the way it "should", it doesn't mean that it isn't beautiful.

Believe it or not I have the same problem. I'm 5'1" and only 98 pds (well a little more now because I gained weight once I got pregnant) and I have to say the world was not built for women like me. I remember girls in my high school were always like "I want to be a size zero!" all I could think was, good luck because you'll never find anything that fits right. The places that do carry size zero at the mall, either make clothes that are too short or to long for me. Shirts are never small enough, they are always too long for me. I didn't even bother going shopping for a prom dress, which I would have had to get out of state to find my size, instead I wore a $25 sundress that was a "small". I also have small feet, 5 1/2 so finding shoes in my size that don't look like they were made for a 5 year old are also a problem. Its already hard for people to take me seriously, because they assume I am younger then I am, but I also have to wear clothes that are too young looking for me. I think the fashion world forgets that women come in all shapes and sizes, all heights and weights. Seriously, what kind of freak is a size 0 and 6 feet tall?

I think I'm just so hardcore that I've gone past saying the letters and I'm back to calling it by the color!

Oooh. I think that what I may do is go to the flea market, take a break and walk around to check out some other stores, and then come back to see if anything new has been added that I like. But please do babble on. I have nothing to do this summer at all.

But thank you!

I'm really excited for you. *babbles on* If you want to walk around the neighborhood where the flea market is, you could go to Oscar Wilde Bookshop! It's the oldest gay bookstore in the country, est. 1967. It's on Christopher St. between 6th and 7th Ave.

Finding clothes in your size wouldn't be a problem if companies didn't keep making sizes larger because apparently women have this fear of buying up a size even though they keep getting fatter.

What we need to do is have a wide range of sizes and just screw the whole concept of basing our self-worth on the number inside our jeans. And people need to stop telling us that we should.

I will probably find all these places, hee. I am a pretty good wanderer.

There's a gay bookstore in Philly that I like too---Giovanni's Room. (It has a very attractive cashier---what? did I just say something?)

I can't even figure out why everyone says you need to be a "size two." I mean, if you're petite, fine by me. If you're naturally thin, totally cool. But if you're 5'11" and meant to be a 10 or 12, you should feel comfortable like that.

I guess it's like, if you're not eating right or exercising, you should start doing that. If you lose weight, good for you, if you don't, don't get discouraged.

What I also want to know is why there are size 2 mannequins at Lane Bryant.

Yeah the models Lane Bryant uses are a size 10, which doesn't makes sense because their customers are usually sizes 16 and up, which is the average size of american females. You should be comfortable with whatever your normal weight and size is, even if its considered "under" or "over" weight. Some of us will never be a size lower then a 12, some people like me will never be a size bigger then a 6. I don't see a problem with that. I think companies only put a certain image on display to make money. They know most women are not the ideal that they create.

...the models used for smaller women's sizes also have a very similar size differential to the average woman, too.

Anyone who sews can tll you that it is WAY easier to design and sew for a long rectangle than it is to take curves, differing proportions and the lot into account. Most models you see are essentially chosen to fit most clothes, which aren't tailored individually, but in a one-size-fits-all sort of way.

All the more reason to sew yourself, or find indie women who make clothes to buy from or barter with! :)

I read that they use models sizes 12 and plus, which makes more sense to me than having a model wear clothing in a size you don't even stock., because you'd have to custom-make the entire line in a smaller size

I would be willing to guess that they use models sizes 14-20, which covers the two smallest plus-size "ranges." Torrid uses teen/twenties models sizes 12-20. (I only know this because I considered sending them an application if I planned on going to school in CA, just because I need the money.)

Don't forget chubby women are more elastic and can curve much better than skinny ones! I can recommend you Ross Simons jewelry, if you want to have a cool accessory, and not necessary to look nice thanks to the clothes. I prefer an outstanding accessory instead of a cool outfit, it can outrun it.

I know how you feel about the clothes shopping thing. At 5'6" 205 pounds I know I find it hard to get clothes that look nice and fit right. Thankfully, I'm kind of a butchy girl and I love how much more comfortable men's clothing is. I mean, I just got out of class and I'm wearing these old jeans that I ripped off (literally) of an ex-boyfriend. Granted men's clothing isn't designed to hug curves in just the right way, but I've always dressed androgynously. However, I know from experience that it isn't easy to find the nicer clothes that fit right. I spent a couple hundred bucks easily on clothing that looked okay when I had to dress really nice for a waitressing gig I had. It's no fun. Right now, my favorite feminine clothes are these patchwork/indie/60s skirts that a local store sells. They're super comfortable, and they swish and twirl without making you look stupid.