By: Alicia Maldonado
Contributing writer
It’s really frustrating when fashionable clothing is only available for women who are so skinny, you can see their rib cage.
Our bodies are one of the most important aspects of ourselves. As women, we are always judged by the way our bodies look and not by the personalities we have.
This is a ridiculous idea, considering we are all born with different shapes and curves. In a country that cherishes a size 0 rather than a healthy woman who is a size 14 or 16 is ludicrous.
Women like me feel this pressure to be thin on a consistent basis. But we feel it the most when we enter a store filled with beautiful clothing we can never wear. These stores are usually the most popular ones like Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle and Charlotte Russe, to name a few.
Most young women want to keep up with the latest fashion trends. How is that possible for us if the stores that sell plus-size clothes are either expensive or have clothing that is more for grandmas than teenage girls? It is difficult to be able to dress yourself with the lack of clothing available.
We do not want to look like old women; we want to look like young women with style.
As a plus-size woman, one of my favorite stores is Macy’s. There are other stores that I would love to go to, like American Eagle, but they just do not have my size. At Macy’s, at least I have a range of clothing choices compared to my sister and other women who have her same slender body type. Macy’s has an acceptable amount of cute clothing available for plus-size women. The only problem is that they are expensive. The only way I can shop there is if they are having a killer one-day sale. Even then, it’s difficult.
Even though we plus-size girls have Macy’s, it also has its problems. There is a Macy’s brand named American Rag that has plus-size clothing. When shopping through the plus-size section, you would think you are getting the same pieces as the junior size, in truth, you are not. The junior sizes have a wider array of clothing and more options while the plus-sizes do not have as much of a selection.
Additionally, the stores sell less-cut versions of junior clothes. There are other plus-size brands that advertise to young women, but in reality their clothes are more old lady than hip, up-and–coming college student.
One day, stores that only sell up to size 12 will become more accepting of women who have fuller figures, and I know I share the same hope as other women like me. There are stores now like Forever 21 and H&M, that have now introduced plus-size clothing.
Don’t worry, my fellow curvacious women: one day we will have clothes just as stylish as regular-size clothing.
maldonae12@bonaventure.edu
