What a Waist! Skinny Jeans for Fat People

I remember the first time I heard about Torrid. I was walking through the mall with my tall thin gay best friend who I had a massive crush on. He says “have you seen that store Torrid?” “Torrid?” “Yeah, it’s some store that sells fishnets for fat girls but nobody wants to see fat girls in fishnets.”

Devastating.

My cliché best friend crush was obviously disgusted by fat girls but was talking to an actual fat girl who actually kinda wanted him to not hate her fat body? Wow. Crushes are so demonic but also multiple eyeball emoji because up until this point the only other store I had shopped at was Lane Bryant. And girl. Imagine me, a tall fat black junior in high school wanting to dress the way I felt but only having access to business clothes made for middle aged white women with jobs. I wanted to give Moesha, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill energy but the scarcity of fat fashion had me giving auntie, vice principal and occasionally — soft FUBU stud.

Fishnets for fat girls? I wanted in but had to act like I didn’t because well — that’s just how fatphobia is.

I know I wasn’t the first fat girl in Torrid but I feel like I was. I gave Torrid all of my little money through high school, college, multiple jobs and relationships.