The Guilfordian

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Forum

My mother gave me a sewing machine for Christmas and, permitting I learn a thing or two about the trade, I should be able to liberate myself from the relentlessly starched, oddly cut, overpriced clothes glowing under the florescent glare of department store lighting.

Women who have been through the trials of clothes shopping know that clothing sizes today are unreasonably awarded. Aside from mannequins, few women are a size two, yet that seems to be the most celebrated proportion. Twos and fours, pretentiously labeled as "normal," are aesthetically pleasing enough in our culture that any larger size impedes on extra-large territory.

If the average woman is a size 12 or 14, (think "strong" and "three square meals a day"), then why are 12's and 14's considered plus-sizes? It seems that we want ourselves to believe that thinness is perfection and the further away you get from it, the more "plus" you get. Never mind that the further away you get from appearing super-skinny, the more average-looking you are too.

In scoping out the limited selection of articles available from typing in "plus-size clothes" on Conde Nast's online fashion magazines, two things really stick out. First of all, body size in the world of Glamour and Allure is about looks, not health. Secondly, any intelligent observer would notice that these publications reinforcemen negative connotations about the female body.

In fact, popular magazines try to avoid normal images - as if size were a barometer of intellect, kindness, talent, athletic ability, literacy, or anything other than size. Magazines like Real Simple, which promotes living an organic and natural lifestyle, even fall short of overcoming thin-obsessed stereotypes when it comes to their section on fat-reducing workouts.

There is the "Super Size Me" culture, grounded in legitimate claims about disproportionate body fat - i.e., obesity - which stands out as that startling series of statistics concerning America's youth. Then there is the "downsize me" culture, which makes little sense and is just as disturbing as the McDonald's phenomenon.

Look at the other side of the spectrum for a minute. Just as some size 12 women naturally wear a size 12, some women naturally wear a size four. But don't forget about the size 2's and 4's out there that aren't naturally that small, and are forcing themselves into the skinniest clothes on the rack. Given the amount of social acceptance calorie counting and anorexia get, the focus of our concerns should be the women who struggle to fit into society's "norm" and the lethal effects of outcast-ing certain body types.

We need to reach a point of acceptance. I don't know what kind of people truly care about what clothing sizes their friends wear, but if there are people out there like that, I don't want to be associated with them.

It would be hypocritical of me to offer health tips, and it would be a lie to say that I never feel uncomfortable in my own skin. But as a society, we should strive to overlook the shallow things that advertisements tell us to think.

Given that average women wear a size 12, we should do away with the whole "plus-size" thing and just have regular sizes.

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