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dichroicI'm posting this to LJ instead of my main site because it's mostly a reaction to this essay, though more to the comments than to the main point of the original essay. I strongly agree with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cadhla's point about buying what fits you - if you can find it.
I've said this before, but it keeps coming up. Real Women have curves. Real Women have longer rises to allow for their curves. Real Women have breasts and hips and waists and potbellies, and Real Women like their curves and often know Real Men who like them too.
And I'm *fine* with all of that, really I am. Where I get a bit annoyed is when I start seeing the implication that only women who are curvy - sometimes, only women who are overweight - are Real. I can understand why people who can't find decent clothing in their size, or who find themselves stuck between size ranges, or who find themselves automatically ignored are angry. I would be too; in fact, I am angry, both on their behalf and because I can't find clothing that fits well and is functional either. I don't think the solution is to marginalize smaller women, by disparaging size 0 or by assuming anyone skinny is automatically anorexic, and it's not to ignore women with muscles either.
Real Women are curvy and straight, jiggly and firm, busty, flat-chested, pot-bellied, buff, saddle-bagged, bony, hour-glass-shaped, long and short and every size in between. The variation among clothing manufcturers may be inevitable because we do vary so much, but it's not too much to ask for them to be consistent within one brand, or to offer nice clothing in all of our sizes, or to let us know what general contour each of them is designing to fit. And it's not too much for us to ask of each other not to marginalize any of us, however we're shaped.
I also don't think it's too much to have a designer create everyday work and casual clothes made to fit over muscular arms and thighs (you wouldn't think I'm very buff if you looked at me, but whenever I'm doing more weightlifting all my armholes get too tight). But that's just a personal request.
cadhla's point about buying what fits you - if you can find it.I've said this before, but it keeps coming up. Real Women have curves. Real Women have longer rises to allow for their curves. Real Women have breasts and hips and waists and potbellies, and Real Women like their curves and often know Real Men who like them too.
And I'm *fine* with all of that, really I am. Where I get a bit annoyed is when I start seeing the implication that only women who are curvy - sometimes, only women who are overweight - are Real. I can understand why people who can't find decent clothing in their size, or who find themselves stuck between size ranges, or who find themselves automatically ignored are angry. I would be too; in fact, I am angry, both on their behalf and because I can't find clothing that fits well and is functional either. I don't think the solution is to marginalize smaller women, by disparaging size 0 or by assuming anyone skinny is automatically anorexic, and it's not to ignore women with muscles either.
Real Women are curvy and straight, jiggly and firm, busty, flat-chested, pot-bellied, buff, saddle-bagged, bony, hour-glass-shaped, long and short and every size in between. The variation among clothing manufcturers may be inevitable because we do vary so much, but it's not too much to ask for them to be consistent within one brand, or to offer nice clothing in all of our sizes, or to let us know what general contour each of them is designing to fit. And it's not too much for us to ask of each other not to marginalize any of us, however we're shaped.
I also don't think it's too much to have a designer create everyday work and casual clothes made to fit over muscular arms and thighs (you wouldn't think I'm very buff if you looked at me, but whenever I'm doing more weightlifting all my armholes get too tight). But that's just a personal request.
