3:59
- style
- July 31, 2019
Should we still be using the term 'plus-size?'
Models, retailers, and body-positive advocates weigh in.
3:59
The average American woman wears between a size 16 and 18, according to a study by the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education. Yet only 2,000 stores cater to women above size 12, Torrid's CEO Liz Muñoz noted, compared to more than 60,000 stores that cater to traditional straight sizes, 00 to 12.
One of the earliest uses of the term plus-size dates back to the early 1920s in association with designer Lane Bryant. The Wall Street Journal reported that in 1922, \"The chain began advertising 'Misses Plus Sizes,' which offered roomier versions of clothing from the 'misses' size category. Five years later, newspaper ads for the chain showcased 'plus sizes' without the 'misses.'\"
By definition, plus-size is used to describe \"extra-large\" apparel.
There are conflicting views when it comes to the verbiage to describe clothing for full-figured women, but there many who now find power in saying \"plus-size.\"
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Liz Munoz (@big_girl_life) on Mar 8, 2019 at 8:30am PST
If you search for the hashtag #plussize on Instagram, over 19,000 images of individuals of diverse backgrounds appear and a majority of them exude an aura of confidence and joy. There are also more than 940,000 women who happily tag themselves as plus-size bloggers and influencers.
Body positive activist and plus-size model Carina Shero who also confidently refers to herself as \"fat\" said, \"Being able to have a term that specifies that there will be larger sizes is helpful.\"
View this post on InstagramA post shared by CarinaShero (@carina_shero) on May 15, 2018 at 1:41pm PDT
\"However, I'm hoping we will get to a point where every clothing line just automatically has a full-size range, and we don't need the term plus-size because then every store will actually carry our sizes,\" she said, \"but I don't know when we're going to get there.\"
Events such as The CurvyCon, a three-day extravaganza discussing all things related to plus-size fashion, embrace the term. CurvyCon co-founder Chastity Garner Valentine feels \"grateful\" for the term.
\"From a logistical place, it has allowed me to be a resource for women looking for plus-size clothing,\" she said.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by theCURVYcon (@thecurvycon) on Oct 13, 2018 at 4:40pm PDT
Today, household retail giants such as Macy's heavily promote the term \"plus-size\" in stores and online.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jill Ryland (@talk_curvy_to_me) on Jun 24, 2019 at 6:01am PDT
\"As a plus shopper myself, I find it easier to shop when I see the section clearly labeled in stores,\" said Jill Ryland, Macy's buyer for plus size and style crew ambassador.
\"Women are proud of their bodies and are not ashamed, nor should they be,\" she continued. \"In fashion, women expect stylish pieces fit for them, and Macy's is proud to keep offering her more choices.\"
There are also retailers such as Torrid, Eloquii, Dia&Co, Woman Within, Navabi, Premme, and Ashley Stewart which generally cater to sizes 10 or 12 and up.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by PREMME (@premme.us) on May 17, 2019 at 10:29am PDT
Eloquii's CEO Mariah Chase said her company prefers to note \"sizes 14+\" rather than plus-size.
\"We wanted to flip the script on the idea that we were a 'plus brand' that happened to have some fashionable styles,\" said Chase. \"We just wanted to be about fashion for an underserved customer and have a religiosity to the way we think about fit.\"
View this post on InstagramA post shared by ELOQUII (@eloquii) on Jul 1, 2019 at 5:45pm PDT
Dia & Co. launched in 2015 and it's a subscription box that delivers clothes exclusively in sizes 14 and above. Each item is handpicked by stylists and gives customers the glory of keeping what they love and sending back or exchange free of charge.
Co-founder and CEO of Dia & Co. Nadia Boujarwah confirmed that the company occasionally uses the terms \"thick, curvy or fat.\"
\"We believe firmly that none of these words are intrinsically good or bad,\" said Boujarwah. \"Any feelings or value that we attach to one of these terms is really rooted in sizeism, which we are determined to eradicate.\"
\"I notice a lot of brands using the words 'plus-size,' 'inclusive,' 'body positive' as a means of reeling people in but not actually being any of those things,\" McGrady said.
She added, \"These are not just words, it is not just a 'hot button topic' and these are not just ways for you to make more money. This is an everyday battle for women everywhere for retailers to be more inclusive. The demand is abundantly outweighing the supply.\"
Katie Sturino, founder of Megababe and The12ishstyle said consumers should be wary of companies just slapping the label on their marketing campaigns.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Katie Sturino (@katiesturino) on Apr 14, 2019 at 4:13pm PDT
\"Unfortunately there are a lot of companies out there that launch a size 14 to their size range and call it a plus-size extension, although that is absolutely not a plus-size extension,\" Sturino said.
\"It may be a bigger size for them, and they may pat themselves on the back for it, but they're not even reaching the average size woman at that stage,\" Sturino noted.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by PRECIOUS LEE💫 (@preciousleexoxo) on Mar 4, 2019 at 10:52am PST
We now have some of the most size-inclusive clothing brands in the world such as Universal Standard, which carries sizes 00 to 40.
\"It's contrary to basically the goal of the brand, which is to create a world where we don't distinguish people in that way,\" Universal Standard co-founder Alexandra Waldman told \"GMA.\"
She continued, \"We really, really try not to use that because we don't want to create that separation. We actually see the separation as a huge stumbling block to all of us getting clothes.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/universal-standard-ht-jt-190523_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
In 2019 alone, retailers including Nike and Fenty have been given high praise for displaying plus-size mannequins.
More brands are beginning to create permanent size extensions.
\"It's less about the term and more about visibility, about representation,\" said self-proclaimed body advocate Precious Lee. \"I would like for us to get to a space that when you say model and you see someone that is not a size two, you won't be shocked.\"
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Universal Standard (@universalstandard) on Apr 13, 2019 at 1:20pm PDT
\"The heart of this body-positive movement is to diminish the ideas and conventions that have been placed on you,\" she continued. \"So, if 'plus' is a problem for you, maybe we should consider dissecting why and what it really means. Let's try to let go of these conventions that society has placed on us because this is for ourselves to be empowered, but it's also for our future.\"
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