Saturday 7 April 2012

Chewing the Fat

Today I want to talk about something that most people will roll their eyes at as it's been done to death. "Chubby blogger decries the lack of fat girls in the fashion industry". However, it's not as simple as that. I've been all sizes between an 8 and a 22 (UK) and I am currently a size 12/14 (mostly 16 in dresses as I've a natural 36FF/G bust); I know I look fatter, but that's the truth.  I look much bigger because I've got massive boobs and tops tend to hang down from them, my widest point, and I have a chubby face (if I put on 1lb, I swear it goes straight to my jawline). Also, I am only 5ft 2" so any excess weight looks wrong on me. I know I carry excess weight. I make no excuses other than I love food and being a Masters student my life is spent reading academic books and writing, my portion sizes are too large and I don't exercise enough. I am currently trying to lose half a stone to get within my ideal weight range for my height.

I want to start by saying I am not condoning the use of models at the extreme ends of the scale - by that I mean super thin and morbidly obese. It is incredibly unhealthy to be either of those things and I do not want young girls/women to think it's okay to aspire to either of those ideals, because it isn't. The one thing I always stress is to be healthy. I feel Look magazine has triumphed in its use of models that are more representative of their readership. I appreciate looking at the models that are more like me and seeing the cut of the clothes on them; what's the point in me looking at size 8 girls with no boobs? Simply put, the clothes would not look as good on me. It doesn't make sense that I'm often made to stare at girls whose shape is nothing like my own and expected to be inspired enough to buy that item of clothing; if anything it just makes me feel like as a bigger girl, I don't deserve to own such beautiful clothing. 

I love to look at fashion blogs and be inspired by the beautiful clothes, yet rarely do I find a popular blog that's run by a girl who isn't a clothes horse - wasp-waisted, small-footed, with a nicely proportioned bust.  I can't help but feel sometimes that if I looked differently, I'd have more readers - be that smaller or bigger (I'm not small enough for the fashionistas to welcome me into their clique, not large enough for the curvy girls to embrace as one of their own). I know there are some popular bloggers who aren't minuscule or massive, yet I feel they are few and far between. Us mere mortals who rely on average cameras, a boyfriend that doesn't know how to take the sort of photos I want, a tiny budget (or none at all in my current case), and a witty anecdote to reel people in because we aren't a 'bright young thing' or a 'bubbly smiler', get nowhere. I'm in a weird category; not big enough to shop in Evans or the Curve collection on ASOS, and yet most shops whose clothes are meant to fit me, don't actually fit very well as they won't accommodate a large-busted, small-hipped, bloated-tummied, flat-bottomed woman. Jeans are a nightmare as I need them to fit my stomach, where I hold most of my weight and excess skin from losing too much weight too fast, but then they bag around my crotch (due to aforementioned small hips and bum) and make me look like I'm harbouring a willy when I stand a certain way. Not a good look, I assure you. 

All I'm trying to say is, if you are an "In-Betweener" like me, please don't lose heart. Not all of us that are into fashion are very small or very large. I don't get many views on my fashion/outfit posts and I know deep down, that it's likely that people think I have an awful dress sense and I have absolutely no charisma in textual form. Nevertheless, I keep this blog going because I want the rare girl who is like me to see my blog and think, "She's rounded and she likes fashion, so I can do it too". I want the fashion blogging world to be more colourful and have more shapes in it; there is room for everyone. Yes, I have more clothing restrictions than a smaller girl as I just can't wear certain clothes, but do I not have the right to a voice or to show you photos? Am I not entitled to have fashion bloggers who are In-Betweeners like me to draw outfit inspiration from? I love looking at fashion blogs full stop as I'm fashion mad, but sometimes I wish I could garner inspiration from someone whose size is similar to my own...preferably near to my budget too! Thank you for your time.

Nicole x


8 comments:

  1. Brilliant post, I would consider myself as being 'in-between' as well, wide hips/no boobs..so my top size and jeans size differ drastically which can be hard to hide but then why should I hide it, as you said it's time to embrace the different sizes we come in :)

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    1. Thank you SO much for taking the time to comment. I am glad that at least one person agrees with me. I think it's inherently wrong that I get nervous about posting outfit pictures on my blog EVERYTIME because I'm concerned that people will automatically discount it as I'm not your typical 'fashionista'. Of course, I'm not saying that those girls who are size 8-10 and well-proportioned don't have their own insecurities, as we all do, but I just wish there was more scope within the blogging community. It's pretty sad.

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  2. I agree that it would be so much nicer to see how clothes look on a variety of sizes! It would make it so much easier to shop! It does feel like you can only be fashionable if you are a size 6, and that's a big shame :(
    Thanks for writing - it may have been 'done to death' but I think that's because there's so much to say about the subject!

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    1. No, no, thank you for reading! I couldn't agree more with everything you just said. It is sometimes as if girls who don't fit the 'ideal' shape are considered less fashionable than those who do and therefore are not really catered for as a result. Maybe it should be flipped on its head and thought that women of certain proportions find it hard to be fashionable and find clothes to fit them like a glove because the manufacturers and magazines don't give us the opportunity to purchase items that fit well, and when they do, they aren't necessarily fashion-forward pieces.

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  3. This has got to be your best blog post yet!

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  4. Great post, I'm an "in betweener" too and I love your outfit posts. I know what you mean about the clothes horse look, I often browse blog sales only to find that everything is a size 6-8 and far too small. Don't lose heart, there are some of us average girls who follow your blog and love your style x

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    1. Thank you! I am really over-the-moon to hear someone say that. All I want is for someone, somewhere, to find my blog posts interesting and informative and hopefully inspirational in some small way! I know what you mean about blog sales, I don't even bother looking anymore! x

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