# BBW’s and the Fashion Industry



## Jimevil2000 (Aug 14, 2019)

I have an art degree and did a lot of freelance work over the years, including fashion design and consulting. What I’ve discovered is the majority of the weight bias in media and society comes from the fashion industry as a whole. 

Through my own experience this is due to two reasons. First, it’s more difficult to force a shape into a large woman. These waifish models can wear padding or forms to basically fake a shape to fill out clothing or to make them drape/fall correctly. It’s much more labor and concept intensive for a designer to work with a certain body type or shape and make clothing to exemplify the wearer. So laziness is a factor. 

Second, not to offend anyone’s sensibilities, but the majority of the fashion industry is run by gay men. While there are gay men that are FA’s, the majority prefer thin lean men. Hence the modeling industry adopting the androgynous model. They are designing for the body type they are attracted to. 

I expect that as more women gain prominence in the field this will change. Slowly of course, because there is also pressure to conform to succeed. Hopefully we will begin to see more prominent designers make bold moves.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 15, 2019)

I'm not convinced that a designer's sexual orientation has a significant effect on his or her designs; I suspect that designers are designing for the _money_ they are attracted to. That said, I'd like to suggest an additional reason why clothes are designed to look good on tall, thin women. When a designer has a showing, he/she wants the viewers to focus on the clothes, not the models: the dresses have to drape right. In your work in the fashion industry, you must have noticed that those tall, thin models generally have shoulders like a football linebacker. The idea is that the dress will be shown to best advantage if it hangs straight down with its drape unimpeded by projecting body parts, The model is chosen to fit the dress more than the dress is chosen to fit the model.


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## BigElectricKat (Aug 15, 2019)

I believe that there may be some truth to both your POVs. Dr. Feelgood has a good point when it comes to designers doing it for the money. Since the 60's, the fashion industry has mirrored society's idea of what beauty is. As we all know, those ideas change and evolve over time. But the crux of it it is this:whatever the current societal definition of beauty, they will cater to that. So, we've seen thin is in for decades. The greatest number of consumers who buy their clothes were or wished to be on the thin side. You have to look no further than the diet/exercise craze of the 80's. You either were thin or wanted to be thin. Otherwise, you were left out in the cold.

Fast forward to the 2000's. Body positivity and fat acceptance began to gain steam and has finally broken through into mainstream media. And wouldn't you know it, the fashion industry has started to latch on to the movement as well. Designers have started to understand that bigger women would rather pay for clothes that are already their size, than to try to slim down in order to wear a designer's frock. "Make it so that I look good in it, no matter my size" is now a guiding statement for many designers. Whereas before it was "You need to look (what they called) good in order to where my clothes."


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## sarahe543 (Aug 15, 2019)

Many of the larger women models still have a hourglass figure which creates it's own set of pressures. I could recreate a hourglass body shape but I'd need really uncomfortable corsetry or photoshop!
Theres still not enough diversity, and the body positivity movement doesn't capture as wide a range of people as it should. We still dont see bigger men models that much.


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## landshark (Aug 15, 2019)

^ not only that but it seems like a lot of the plus size models they do have are all tall. God forbid they feature a short fat woman! This is a huge source of frustration to my wife because designers like Lane Bryant seem to think of a woman has an ass as big as my wife does she must also be tall.


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## Jimevil2000 (Aug 15, 2019)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> I'm not convinced that a designer's sexual orientation has a significant effect on his or her designs; I suspect that designers are designing for the _money_ they are attracted to. That said, I'd like to suggest an additional reason why clothes are designed to look good on tall, thin women. When a designer has a showing, he/she wants the viewers to focus on the clothes, not the models: the dresses have to drape right. In your work in the fashion industry, you must have noticed that those tall, thin models generally have shoulders like a football linebacker. The idea is that the dress will be shown to best advantage if it hangs straight down with its drape unimpeded by projecting body parts, The model is chosen to fit the dress more than the dress is chosen to fit the model.



I agree. As I said, it’s about how a design drapes and falls. That’s also why I believe a certain amount of laziness is involved. It’s just easier to use a formless model. 

As for money, that is always a motivation. This is why no one will crack that unless they are already established. It’s too risqué for a newer designer to “break the mold”.


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## John Smith (Aug 15, 2019)

Jimevil2000 said:


> I have an art degree and did a lot of freelance work over the years, including fashion design and consulting. What I’ve discovered is the majority of the weight bias in media and society comes from the fashion industry as a whole.
> 
> Through my own experience this is due to two reasons. First, it’s more difficult to force a shape into a large woman. These waifish models can wear padding or forms to basically fake a shape to fill out clothing or to make them drape/fall correctly. It’s much more labor and concept intensive for a designer to work with a certain body type or shape and make clothing to exemplify the wearer. So laziness is a factor.
> 
> ...



You've pretty much resumed a century old both culturally and commercially widespread size bias in a nutshell.

Fashion industry is dominated by (mostly) sexually ambiguous Caucasian men - and even women - who favours tall, lean male and lean androgynous female bodies: most oftentimes of Caucasian or whichever ethnically ambiguous phenotype. Those bias holds even in the Plus Size fashion industry, wherein conventionally full-figured (let alone, somewhat slimmer) white and lighter-skinned women are better favored than the rest of the modelling cast.


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## agouderia (Aug 16, 2019)

There are many valid points here.

As far as height goes though - all models are tall, in all sizes. And have always been in comparison to the average woman on the street. Minimum height for a model is 5'9"/1.75m - today most models are 5'11"/1.80m+.
That again has something to do with visibility on catwalks, a better fall for clothing and catering to the required standard (since the 1960's) of having long legs.

Also - the name is model. So naturally "models" conform to the required ideal.

Regarding true designer fashion - today that mainly addresses a virtual audience. And yes, there gay men and their limited understanding of a natural female body are overrepresented. It also has something to do with the fact that more and more "designers" have never had true tailor training, meaning many simply lack the craft skills necessary to make intricate patterns and sew expertly.

Still, how many women are there who fit into size 2 and can spend thousands on fashion?

Catwalk designer fashion today is not really there to be worn in masses, but to create and promote brand recognition - which in turn enables sales of accessories and cosmetics to finance the fashion side (look into Dior, in case you're interested).

With respect to mid-market fashion - things have improved tremendously over the past 20 years.
The number of plus size labels as sky-rocketed, and many regular lines have been extended to size US 16 or 18. If you fit into these ranges and are of an average height, it has become relatively easy to dress nicely and follow fashion.

What remains a problem are plus-sizes beyond the range in Europe above US24, in the US above US 26.
When honestly discussing the issue, there are 2 business obvious reasons for this.
First of all, the larger the clothes size, the smaller the market. There are millions of customers for size 22 - but only x-thousand for size 32.
Second - the larger the size, the less standardizable it is because weight distribution in combination with height varies so strongly. So it becomes very difficult to produce in affordable economies of scale.

The same applies to very petite women, by the way. Fashion is mass market today - and if you need something individualized, you have to do it yourself or get it tailored to measure.


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## John Smith (Aug 16, 2019)

I blame freaking Walt Disney too.


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## agouderia (Aug 16, 2019)

Barbie is much more to blame than Disney - there actually is quite some research to prove that.


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## RVGleason (Aug 16, 2019)

John Smith said:


> I blame freaking Walt Disney too.



Not when they have Orwen from ‘The Black Cauldron’.


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## John Smith (Aug 16, 2019)

RVGleason said:


> Not when they have Orwen from ‘The Black Cauldron’.



A grey-greenish adipous humanoid ragtag with a vaguely androgynous face?? Really???

What else? Are anyone would quote me a half-Portugese Brazilian princeling turned into a talking frog and fighting Hoodoo priests for "fIrSt bLaCk dIsNeY pRiNcE" ??


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## John Smith (Aug 16, 2019)

agouderia said:


> Barbie is much more to blame than Disney - there actually is quite some research to prove that.



Tne simple fact every next forum-goer tries to underesteem the sway of Disney over young girls and women's minds does ironically prove how much people just underesteem the multigenerational sway of the Big Mouse Devil over _everyone's minds_.

When you live at Rome as a Roman, no one realize how messed up it is until the end...


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 16, 2019)

John Smith said:


> When you live at Rome as a Roman, no one realize how messed up it is until the end...



Juvenal (AD 60-c. 130) certainly did! His _Satires_ are full of zingers like _Probitas laudatur et alget_ ("Honesty is praised and starves"). He spares nothing and nobody.


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## John Smith (Aug 17, 2019)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> Juvenal (AD 60-c. 130) certainly did! His _Satires_ are full of zingers like _Probitas laudatur et alget_ ("Honesty is praised and starves"). He spares nothing and nobody.



The same Juvenal who died under very enigmatic circumstances in the midst of a torrid scathe of land from the other edge of tne known world, after have been sent there for a random, meaningless "military expedition" at his eighties, in what seems pretty much like either a assassination by proxy or a way to make the poor fella succumb to acclimating issue? And whom his writings became popular but two centuries after his death but between the hands of the very radical religious community who accelerated the downfall of an empire?


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## agouderia (Aug 17, 2019)

John Smith said:


> Tne simple fact every next forum-goer tries to underesteem the sway of Disney over young girls and women's minds does ironically prove how much people just underesteem the multigenerational sway of the Big Mouse Devil over _everyone's minds_.



It's not about underestimating Disney's influence - and negative effects - on international pop culture targeted at children.
The question here is what has the stronger effect on developing a positive and realistic female body image with little girls.

The pervasive Disney "princess culture" brought a severe backlash in perpetuating outdated feminine stereotypes in the past 20 years. Teaching little girls that being beautiful and submissive is the prime quality in any female.

That also has had an effect on body image, as all Disney princesses are unrealistically petite.
So negative socio-pscychological effects on little girls exist in several respects..

Nevertheless, it is a well researched fact that Barbie has worse effects when it comes to developing a realistic female body image. 
Why? Because even though Disney princess dolls exist, they are not the main way girls come in contact with the culture. It's mainly though pictures and film, so only in a two-dimensional, more abstract and distanced manner.

With Barbie it's different. Little girls come in direct and continuous physical contact with it. In the US, statistically every little girl owns* 12* (!!) Barbies by the age of 6. As we all know, Barbie has an anatomy that would lead to severe organ and skeletal deformations along with making it impossible to have a child.
And this "figure" is what little girls play with, dress and undress up to a dozen times a day. That definitely is formative.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Aug 17, 2019)

John Smith said:


> The same Juvenal who died under very enigmatic circumstances in the midst of a torrid scathe of land from the other edge of tne known world, after have been sent there for a random, meaningless "military expedition" at his eighties, in what seems pretty much like either a assassination by proxy or a way to make the poor fella succumb to acclimating issue? And whom his writings became popular but two centuries after his death but between the hands of the very radical religious community who accelerated the downfall of an empire?



Nope. My guy is Decius Junius Juvenalis, of whose life almost nothing is known. Of course, this hasn't prevented scholars from copious speculation. To the best of my knowledge, however, none of them has assigned him a military career or a mysterious death.


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## alk27alk27 (Sep 30, 2019)

Man, that Orwen sure has some nice “tracks of land” if I may say so. I vote for Orwen to be the next Disney Princess in 2020. Come on people let’s make it happen.


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## Tracyarts (Oct 8, 2019)

I have experience in the fashion industry. I have an associate degree in fashion design and merchandising, I am a designer, seamstress, jewelry designer, and fiber artist, have worked in retail fashion, helped buy for a boutique, and have modeled professionally through an agency. 

From the design end of things, fat bodies are difficult to design for because they are more diverse than thin bodies. The bigger a person gets, the less standard their body type is likely to be. Look at bodies of people who run from very thin to average sized. Aside from a bit of variation and the occasional outlier, they're pretty much the same. But once you get into the middle of the plus size range, things start to change. You start to see exaggerated body measurements that no longer follow the standard figure formulas. And the bigger the body, the more these measurements deviate from that norm.

Once you get past around a size 18, standardizing fit is a challenge. Past a 24, and it's impossible. All you can do is design a garment to stretch to fit the bigger parts, or loosely drape over the smaller parts. This is why so many plus size ready to wear clothes utilize stretch fabrics and stretch waistbands. Or oversized fit. They will accommodate more bodies than fitted and tailored garments. The more people who can wear the clothes, the better it is from a sales standpoint. Most ready to wear is manufactured under tight budget constraints. Companies can't afford to produce clothes that only a small portion of their target market can wear. 

Modeling is a reflection of this. Manufacturers provide sample garments in standard sizes. The model has to be able to wear them. When I was modeling, my agency defined plus sized as 5'10"-6', size 14-16W, B-C cup bra, athletic to moderate hourglass torso, proportionate arms and legs. They wanted us to look like evenly proportioned mannequins. That's pretty much what we were. If we showed up for a shoot or a show and there was a rack of size 14's, we were expected to fit in all of them. There were no accommodations for pear shapes, big busts, tiny waists, or round bellies. 

If a manufacturer or retailer sends a selection of garments for a shoot or show, and the model can't wear some of them because she doesn't have an evenly proportioned standardized figure, that's a problem. Time is wasted, money is lost. The agency is likely not to be booked with again. Maybe a shoot can be salvaged with clips, pins, and tape. Photographing from only certain angles. But it's a major pain in the ass, takes time (which costs money) and possibly runs overtime, throwing schedules off. 

Fashion is a very standardized industry, fat bodies are usually more unique than standard. It's really more about practicality and logistics than fat hate.


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## Abby Avery (Dec 7, 2019)

Jimevil2000 said:


> I have an art degree and did a lot of freelance work over the years, including fashion design and consulting. What I’ve discovered is the majority of the weight bias in media and society comes from the fashion industry as a whole.
> 
> Through my own experience this is due to two reasons. First, it’s more difficult to force a shape into a large woman. These waifish models can wear padding or forms to basically fake a shape to fill out clothing or to make them drape/fall correctly. It’s much more labor and concept intensive for a designer to work with a certain body type or shape and make clothing to exemplify the wearer. So laziness is a factor.
> 
> ...


I feel so empowered when I see plus size models in print and being hired by big name brands. As a plus size model myself, I feel the pressure in the industry to be a "fit plus" or adapt to expectations rather than being accepted for the shape I am. 
You have interesting perspectives on the industry!


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## SSBHM (Jan 5, 2020)

Tracyarts said:


> I have experience in the fashion industry. I have an associate degree in fashion design and merchandising, I am a designer, seamstress, jewelry designer, and fiber artist, have worked in retail fashion, helped buy for a boutique, and have modeled professionally through an agency.
> 
> From the design end of things, fat bodies are difficult to design for because they are more diverse than thin bodies. The bigger a person gets, the less standard their body type is likely to be. Look at bodies of people who run from very thin to average sized. Aside from a bit of variation and the occasional outlier, they're pretty much the same. But once you get into the middle of the plus size range, things start to change. You start to see exaggerated body measurements that no longer follow the standard figure formulas. And the bigger the body, the more these measurements deviate from that norm.
> 
> ...



You really nailed it. Bigger people have many more dimensions than smaller people. I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're spot on!

I was looking for some new pants on line and couldn't really decide until I found much more detail about the cut. I have to decide how high the rise of the pant I need is, the thigh size, the waist where it will sit on my torso, as well if it's stretchy fabric or not. Maybe custom clothing will become less expensive someday and I'll find something that's as comfy as sweats! 

I'm entirely serious about all of my comments. I respect the insight you provided. Thank you!


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## SSBHM (Jan 5, 2020)

Abby Avery said:


> I feel so empowered when I see plus size models in print and being hired by big name brands. As a plus size model myself, I feel the pressure in the industry to be a "fit plus" or adapt to expectations rather than being accepted for the shape I am.
> You have interesting perspectives on the industry!


It does seem that all the Plus sized models are all proportionate to smaller models.
Not the real world, but then again models are supposed to represent the prettier of us. It's great that they represent all sizes though!


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## Rojodi (Jan 5, 2020)

Tracyarts said:


> I have experience in the fashion industry. I have an associate degree in fashion design and merchandising, I am a designer, seamstress, jewelry designer, and fiber artist, have worked in retail fashion, helped buy for a boutique, and have modeled professionally through an agency.
> 
> From the design end of things, fat bodies are difficult to design for because they are more diverse than thin bodies. The bigger a person gets, the less standard their body type is likely to be. Look at bodies of people who run from very thin to average sized. Aside from a bit of variation and the occasional outlier, they're pretty much the same. But once you get into the middle of the plus size range, things start to change. You start to see exaggerated body measurements that no longer follow the standard figure formulas. And the bigger the body, the more these measurements deviate from that norm.
> 
> ...



This is why my wife is loyal to certain clothing lines, those that can make her feel good about herself.

This is why, at the BBW bashes I attended, the women were excited when a manufacturer came and had clothing available for sale, and to be modeled by volunteers.


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## Tracyarts (Jan 16, 2020)

I used to love the fashion aspect of the bashes. I shopped from vendors, worked for a vendor, modeled for vendors, and was a vendor myself at the last event I went to. 



Rojodi said:


> This is why my wife is loyal to certain clothing lines, those that can make her feel good about herself.
> 
> This is why, at the BBW bashes I attended, the women were excited when a manufacturer came and had clothing available for sale, and to be modeled by volunteers.


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## Rojodi (Jan 16, 2020)

Tracyarts said:


> I used to love the fashion aspect of the bashes. I shopped from vendors, worked for a vendor, modeled for vendors, and was a vendor myself at the last event I went to.



I loved them before they became meat/meet markets. It was fun to greet friends from the internet, she what clothes my wife was going to purchase, relax in a fun and exciting setting.


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## RVGleason (Apr 5, 2021)

Lena Dunham designs plus-size clothing line for 11 Honoré


And on Instagram, she spoke out about the sizeism she’s experienced on the red carpet.




pagesix.com


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## DazzlingAnna (Apr 6, 2021)

A few weeks ago I received the brochure of a plus-size store showing their current spring collection. 
I am not a big fan of these brochures because the shown models don't represent their own target group. They cover European sizes from 42-68+,(matching US sizes starting at 12) and I think their main customer group is between 48 and 58. I am not sure but when I am at the store I see women of that size.
The models presenting their clothes for sure hit the plus-size criteria of the industry. They don't represent real plus size, at least not me.
When I was having a look at the spring collection I decided to ask them why they don't chose models of various sizes in their product presentation to represent some more of the different body shapes of big women. (They run a campaign about diversity and acceptance in shapes in sizes). I pointed out that I don't need to see super-size models on every page but I'd be happy to see at least a few.
So, I got in contact with the company again and this time I received a reply.
It was a bit more than I expected. The said due to the fact that they produce these brochures very early they just have the sample of clothes availsble once and these samples usually come in the smallest size. So in the brochure the women have to be rather small. 
For me that's plausible but still a pity they cannot manage to show more different shapes and sizes.


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## luckyfa (Apr 6, 2021)

DazzlingAnna said:


> The said due to the fact that they produce these brochures very early they just have the sample of clothes availsble once and these samples usually come in the smallest size. So in the brochure the women have to be rather small.


To me, that sounds like an excuse, but can‘t know for sure


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## Orchid (Apr 6, 2021)

I have this german catalog , the page is dresses in plus sizes. 





Elegante Kleider in großen Größen und wunderschönen Designs


Festliche Abendmode, hübsche Strandkleider & mehr ✔ Geprüfte Qualität ✔ Versandkostenfrei ✔ Jetzt elegante Kleider in großen Größen kaufen bei ➨ BADER




www.bader.de




Goes up to size 56 but only has2, size 54 has 41dresses size 52 has 46 dresses size 50 has 45 the plus sizes go to size 42 but if you are busty it does not fit. The clothes are cut straighter/narrower/squarer so does not fit hourglass. I have one bias cut skirt but that takes too much fabric so is not used, but drapes nice around curvy body. I watch youtube the fashion ateliers where they pin clothes on live model and the thin figure they do not need to know to drape adjust to busts etc.
A size 42 in EU is seen as fat/overweight. I know it is insanity. 
Europe got fat. is more and more fat folks here. Food habits changed also.


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## luckyfa (Apr 6, 2021)

Orchid said:


> I have this german catalog , the page is dresses in plus sizes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Then size isn‘t a reliable measurement of how big someone is, probably never has been. My wife wears stuff ranging from 48-60 (that‘s what the labels say), depending on the brand. She has to try them on if she wants to buy another brand but so do I.


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## littlefairywren (Apr 6, 2021)

DazzlingAnna said:


> A few weeks ago I received the brochure of a plus-size store showing their current spring collection.
> I am not a big fan of these brochures because the shown models don't represent their own target group. They cover European sizes from 42-68+,(matching US sizes starting at 12) and I think their main customer group is between 48 and 58. I am not sure but when I am at the store I see women of that size.
> The models presenting their clothes for sure hit the plus-size criteria of the industry. They don't represent real plus size, at least not me.
> When I was having a look at the spring collection I decided to ask them why they don't chose models of various sizes in their product presentation to represent some more of the different body shapes of big women. (They run a campaign about diversity and acceptance in shapes in sizes). I pointed out that I don't need to see super-size models on every page but I'd be happy to see at least a few.
> ...



We have the same issue here, DA. I want to see what *my* body will look like in clothes that companies are trying to sell me. All too often the plus sizes are modelled by a slightly heavy woman with large breasts, and that's where it ends. I want to see representation for all shapes, including the super size gals, the ones with hips and bellies, but also the short ass ones like me. 
A friend posted this pic on her FB page, and even though it's a BHM being represented, it gives me a little bit of hope that we'll get there one day, because it's long overdue.


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## DazzlingAnna (Apr 6, 2021)

luckyfa said:


> Then size isn‘t a reliable measurement of how big someone is, probably never has been. My wife wears stuff ranging from 48-60 (that‘s what the labels say), depending on the brand. She has to try them on if she wants to buy another brand but so do I.


You are right about the labelled sizes not being a reliable measurement. 
Even within Europe a size 48 isn't a 48 in another country. At least they differ between France and Germany. FR label says 44 = DE label says 46 for the same measurements.
In addition every brand adds its own cuts and every design requires certain adjustments that might not fit on every curvy lady. 
I also vary between sizes (between 3 from one brand, well basically all brands ) but fitting between 48 and 60 (which means seven different sizes) is a lot and must be tiring for your wife to check all possible sizes.


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## Orchid (Apr 6, 2021)

Asos UK curve plus sizes dresses on plus size models goes up to UK size 32 sometimes up to 30 or up to 28. The 26 and 28 sell out early imo. And in normal sizes the sizes 14 and16 sell out fastest./early on.


https://www.asos.com/women/curve-plus-size/new-in/cat/?cid=9578&currentpricerange=5-195&nlid=ww%7Cnew%20in%7Cshop%20by%20body%20fit%7Casos%20curve%20%26%20plus%20size&refine=attribute_10992:61379


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## luckyfa (Apr 7, 2021)

DazzlingAnna said:


> and must be tiring for your wife to check all possible sizes.



You‘re right, it is tiring.

I‘d like to add that I find it tiring to buy jeans for myself. I might have trouble to get them over my thighs while they‘re sitting perfectly at the waistline. I need to buy them bigger in order for them to accodomate my thighs but then they‘re loose at the waistline. Sometimes I have to try on 5 pairs or more and salespeople shrug it off.

It seems to me that we all have our issues with the fashion industry. They don‘t cater to people‘s needs, regardlesse of size.


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## Orchid (Apr 7, 2021)

S/O is very tall but not weight issues he watches his weight. But normal men's t-shirt is like a crop top on him. So finally after much searching online he found a reliable regional tall mens t-shirt online shop so he regularly buys 3 t-shirts there. Jeans is twice a year 2 pairs he buys and leg length is an issue. He is 1.96 mtr. He dislikes buying clothes. I used to gift him dress shirts he never wears them. I donated them later.
I have not been in a fitting room of a shop since ages but they were/think still are here in EU very cramped small , no place to sit etc. The sit is an issue it might fit standing upright but is it still comfortable to sit down wearing it.
I only buy online read the description thrice and watch the video and pictures and stick to things that fit, materials that are soft have a little give and buy 1 size up. I dislike tight clothes. Stretch waist is a must. In dress and skirts midi or maxi so always mid below knee. No black, no dark clothes. no unflattering square binbag.
Before last Xmas started looking for new spring clothes still nothing. I need some hospital clothes too.
The nightgowns and few homewear need replacing for wearing in hospital. Clothes for at home.
Clothes for my medical appointments.
S/O made a joke why you search so long....I answer because maybe for once want to look nice and pretty even if just at home for myself. There are no affordable pretty clothes for a plus size 61 yr old lady in EU.
Seamstress does not exist anymore in my youth place I lived overseas had skirts and dresses made to fit.


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## RVGleason (Apr 7, 2021)

Lena Dunham’s most body-positive photos on Instagram


The "Girls" creator is now moving on to a plus-size clothing line.




pagesix.com


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## Orchid (May 14, 2021)

Interesting video. Different sized women try on same bodycon dress.


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## Orchid (May 23, 2021)




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## Orchid (May 28, 2021)

I like watching plus size clothes hauls for inspiration and see how clothes fit BBW.
This is one of the youtubers I watch often to see plus size clothes, she is in UK.


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## DazzlingAnna (May 28, 2021)

Orchid said:


> I like watching plus size clothes hauls for inspiration and see how clothes fit BBW.
> This is one of the youtubers I watch often to see plus size clothes, she is in UK.



that's my dress, the zebra one


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## DazzlingAnna (May 30, 2021)

Today I was surprised to see this TV advertisement. 
Definitely plus size & swimwear. 
I like it.


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## PeartyB (May 31, 2021)

What an unbelievable video, great beauty

Good to see


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## Jerry Thomas (May 31, 2021)

There are so many great plus-sized videos out there. Some of my favorites are those by Austrian plus-sized model Claudia Floraunce on YouTube. She is incredibly sexy and not a bit afraid to show off her body. Check it out!


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## DazzlingAnna (Jun 1, 2021)

DazzlingAnna said:


> Today I was surprised to see this TV advertisement.
> Definitely plus size & swimwear.
> I like it.



it is a nice video indeed.
I had a look at their plus size swimwear section - and it was quite sobering unless you like black and high waist cut swimwear. Only a few pieces at all (a whole collection of 18 different pieces, only a handful are colorful...).
Compared to the other 800 pieces for "regular" sizes...
The advert is nice though.


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## RVGleason (Jun 2, 2021)

See ya, sweats! New Yorkers are going bold with their summer fashion


NYC fashionistas are shedding their drab pandemic duds and slipping into vibrant attire this summer.




nypost.com


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## agouderia (Jun 3, 2021)

These two issues illustrate persisting problems with reference to the Fat Fashion Industry:



Jerry Thomas said:


> There are so many great plus-sized videos out there. Some of my favorites are those by Austrian plus-sized model Claudia Floraunce on YouTube. She is incredibly sexy and not a bit afraid to show off her body. Check it out!



"Sexy" and "not a bit afraid to show off her body" ..... and a delight for all hip&ass fans = YES!

Serious and realistic plus-size swim wear presentation = NO!

Aside from the fact that the majority even of body confident women are not interested in showcasing what is in society's perception their main figure "flaw" - instead opting for the "flattering" approach emphasing their favorite body parts. When looking for swim wear, all women - not the Insta-model crowd - regardless of size are looking for a swim suit to SWIM in (big surprise... ) - or move around in at the beach/pool.

The model can do none of that in the 4 presented swim suits because they simply don't fit her. 
With her hips, she has a really long torso, so all of the suits are way too short. This is a question of pattern & cut, not of chosen size btw.; a swim suit can be baggy & too large but still too short. (I have a long shoulder/bust area, so I know what I'm writing about). Meaning - and you can already see that if you look for it - the neckholder/straps cut badly into her shoulders/neck making movement difficult and even painful in a rather short time span. The bottom is so stretched that any swim movement will lead to the suit slipping and cutting into her butt-crack - a less thrilling experience than most guys might imagine. 
And I won't even get started on the issue of where and how the swim suit's seams need to be inserted to not only look sexy, but also support good, uninhibited swimming.

This leads to the more general problem of the role all the new self-proclaimed plus-size fashion influencers play. Almost all opt for the "sex sells" approach - which again in real life, in the working world, is something app. 90% of women reserve for special occasions. So a lot of what is shown is often tight and ill-fitting ... and not really suitable for regular daily wear. Which leads us back to above discussed issues regarding the challenges of good fit for plus-sizes......



DazzlingAnna said:


> it is a nice video indeed.
> I had a look at their plus size swimwear section - and it was quite sobering unless you like black and high waist cut swimwear. Only a few pieces at all (a whole collection of 18 different pieces, only a handful are colorful...).
> Compared to the other 800 pieces for "regular" sizes...
> The advert is nice though.



The underlying marketing issue to this question is one I've been asking myself for years as an avid fashion bargain huntress. Wearing the low end of plus-size/top-end of straight size labels (not the "designer" ones that end at size US 10/12) I have outlet shopping experience in both. I always notice that among the plus-size brands/ranges there are many more consistent non-seller items - while the (limited) number of nice, trendy pieces sells out in a flash. It sets me thinking what kind of absurd bias, poor market & target group research or whatever lets brands constantly make such bad business decisions - because that is what they are for a corporate perspective, fashion is not the focus there! Why don't they learn after making these mistakes over and over again???


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## Orchid (Jun 15, 2021)




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## Orchid (Jun 15, 2021)




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## SSBHM (Jun 15, 2021)

Somehow I happened to find Shein Curvy Styles. I thought that was a interesting site or more like a series of BBW fashion. The term curvy is definitely gaining appeal, hmmm was that a pun? Well, curvy is definitely appealing to me!


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## RVGleason (Jul 19, 2021)

Meet the women of the Sports Illustrated 2021 Swimsuit Issue


This year’s issue — on stands Thursday July 22 — showcases SI’s most diverse group of women to date.




nypost.com


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## Jerry Thomas (Jul 19, 2021)

The plus-size models are nice, but definitely not enough of them!


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## RVGleason (Aug 23, 2021)

Model embraces 34-inch thighs: ‘If I didn’t lose weight, I would die’


South Carolina native Heather Johnson underwent gastric sleeve surgery to lose over 165 pounds. However, she found out she had a condition called lipedema.




nypost.com


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## agouderia (Aug 28, 2021)

Jerry Thomas said:


> The plus-size models are nice, but definitely not enough of them!



I agree, I would even venture to state that less plus-size models are featured than in the most recent years - and the ones shown are much closer to straight than to plus-size.

Over the past year, I have been increasingly getting the vibe that Covid19 has brought a severe backlash for all things body-positivity, not least in the field of fashion.


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## Rojodi (Aug 28, 2021)

agouderia said:


> I agree, I would even venture to state that less plus-size models are featured than in the most recent years - and the ones shown are much closer to straight than to plus-size.
> 
> Over the past year, I have been increasingly getting the vibe that Covid19 has brought a severe backlash for all things body-positivity, not least in the field of fashion.



It totally agree! I've seen less and less plus-sized models on tv and in email ads. It's as if advertisers have hired the "What the industry believes is a plus-size at 8" women.


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## RVGleason (Aug 28, 2021)

Gluttonpiggy201 said:


> Hey how are you doing



Doing fine, thanks. And I hope that you are doing well as well!


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