The Frustrating Misery of Clothing a Fat Body
As Lane Bryant closes a quarter of stores, options for fat femme shoppers dwindle
If you’re a woman between sizes 0 and 12, your shopping options are practically endless. You are able to walk into any store, from Target to Ann Taylor to Macy’s to H&M and find dozens and dozens of items to try. One thing doesn’t fit? There are plenty more to try! No worries.
If you’re between a 12 and an 18/20, your options are fewer, but still fairly reasonable. Finding an outfit in person becomes trickier, but not impossible. If you’re a size 22 or above like hundreds of thousands of women? Your options for brick and mortar shopping are severely limited, and once you hit a 28 you’re practically up shit creek without a paddle.
Department stores like Target, Kohls, and Macy’s have plus-size sections, but those often only go up to size 26 or 28, leaving anyone bigger without options. For many women, Lane Bryant and Torrid are saving graces. They’re the only places we can count on to stock a reasonable number of pieces in our size range (and even that isn’t a sure bet). So when I learned that one of those options was about to disappear, I was let down, angry, and frustrated.
On June 23, I got an email from Lane Bryant. Don’t worry, it said, we won’t change…
