More Than a Number
Spending hours in the fitting room just to find one pair of jeans that fit. Praying that the next pair will somehow manage to fit over your hips and thighs but not make the rest of your legs seem huge. The pile of pairs on the floor that “do not fit” is growing high and the “try on” pile is thinning out. Looking in the mirror you begin to cry and just wonder to yourself why you can’t fit into clothes like your friends, they always look so good in jeans. You weigh the same as your one friend but she is a size 7 in jeans and you are a size 14. Starting to try on the other pair, you suck in your stomach as much as you can, feeling the oxygen escape from your body. Once the pair finally pulls up over your hips you sigh in disgust and squeeze the skin hanging over the top of the jeans, wishing it would just fall off so you can just find some pants to wear to school.
This is the reality many individuals face when it comes to finding clothing that fits their body type.
Fashion remains hard enough to navigate with varying styles, materials and colors without having to worry about your body. For some, how it fits or the size can be the most important component, wondering if the shirt will be too tight across their on their chest or if the jeans will be too short. Clothes tend to be made for a very specific body type, and yes they can fit other body types but not in a perfect way, sometimes things can be too tight in one section and too baggy in another other; or too long in one section and too short in the other.
Kelsea Rowan, a Senior English Major at Montclair State University, experiences some of the same issues, “Jeans are my biggest struggle. Jeans were my favorite to wear and now I can’t. I would say it is really hard to dress masc[uline]. Because I’m curvy I have to wear things that fit to those girls”.
Kelsea Rowan’s boyfriend Shane Nicholas Jones-Rust, a Senior English Major at Montclair State University said, “Kelsea is a complex person in a lot of ways, including their gender and gender expression. Usually, they feel like the masculine part of their gender identity is hindered or erased because of how they present to the public. I think it is mostly about how they see themself and the way they think about how their body looks to other people. That’s a big reason why Kelsea is very often femme presenting, because it seems to me that they think men’s clothes make you look bigger, and that is something they are very conscious about.”
When it comes to buying clothes, many stores do not have sizes bigger than a large. Which can result in a large majority of females not being able to shop there. According to a study conducted at Washington State University, the average jean size of women in America is a 16. Models over a size 6 are considered plus size. Being in a world where most movies, televisions, advertisements, and fashions magazines include females that are much smaller than that can make something like shopping for pants difficult.
Size restrictions can be a challenge for particular body types and a lot of different people. “The sad truth is that any store that doesn’t have a plus size section, [I can’t shop at]. I can sometimes fit into H&M but not really. I can’t go to Hollister or Aeropostale,” said Rowan.
Thankfully there are other stores that work with bigger bodied people, “right now my favorite store to shop at is Old Navy and Dress Barn, I like their dress wear and formal wear. Old Navy is fantastic if I want something cheap. I didn’t shop there for the longest time because I associate it with Walmart but once you go in it’s really cute,” said Rowan.
When shopping for clothes it is important to find clothes that fit right regardless of the size on the label. I am wearing a shirt right now as I write this article that is a medium from Forever 21 and it is big on me and I also have clothes from that store in my closet that are a 2X and fit perfectly. Different components such as the item, style, and designer can change the size and cut. Certain jeans are meant for curvier women so they fit will fit those women better and can be a truer size then if a curvier women were to get jeans from Hollister. Certain companies make clothes for thinner bodied females and others tailer toward curvier females. This can affect what fashions and trends different women wear. Right now high waisted jeans and crop tops are a trend and some women either don’t feel comfortable wearing it or it isn’t made in their size. As if the brand is saying certain body types shouldn’t show off skin, not giving the individual a choice as to whether they want to wear it or not.
This restriction in fashion can force individuals to dress a certain way. While this can be annoying, one may foster creativity, “Black leggings [are my favorite things to wear] except for when they become too see through. I really like flowy tee shirt dresses that aren’t too long, if it just to my knees that’s perfect. I really like comfy sweaters. I recently got back into crewnecks, I used to not like them but I think they look good on everyone,” said Rowan.
Regardless of what the size on the label says, it is important to dress in clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident. Style is something that comes from individuality and confidence. Feeling comfortable in your skin is rewarding. And maybe thicker girls are afraid to show some skin because they aren’t seeing it in advertisements but then they see someone walking down the street in an amazing outfits that shows off skin and they realize that it doesn’t matter. What matters is how you feel and the message you send to others, plus, no one is going to see the size anyway, it’s on the inside for a reason.
