For years, plus size teens and young adults had little in the way
of choice for fashionable, youthful clothing. They were forced to shop
at "fat" stores, and find the least conservative styles at the "plus
size ladies or guys" store. Manufacturers and retail stores would call
all their plus size clothing, "teen friendly" when in reality the large
flower print smock type blouses didn't even really appeal to old ladies!
It took years for the s/m/l designer mindset to realize that the
majority of women and men, let alone teens aren't s/m/l.
Plus size
pre-teens had it even worse. At that awkward growing stage, pre-teens
had to buy jeans that were way too baggy, long and shapeless and even
with alteration, they would grow out of them quickly. Swimming suits
for pre-teens went to size 14 or 16 if they were lucky, and they were
never sized properly or attractive. JC Penneys and Sears were about the
only common brick and mortar stores with some choice for plus size
pre-teen and plus size teen fashion. And of course, back then in the 80s
and early 90s there wasn't an internet and catalog companies didn't
cater to plus size teens either! Going back further, the fashion world
all but ignored plus size people in general. There might be one large
size store in town and the mumu house dress and the boxy navy suit were
all they carried. Plus size teenage girls in the 50s and 60s had to
resort to wearing men's jeans and slacks and shirts in order not to look
like a 60 year old grandmother. The 70s brought an appreciation and
realization that one size did not fit all, and jean companies began to
stretch their line to size 18 and 20 with some fashionable choices.
Richard Simmons came on the fashion scene in the early 80s and brought a
recognition that plus size women and men were people too and might want
some style in the wardrobe. But it still took another 20 years for
fashion to embrace a teenage, youthful plus size look.
Thank
goodness times have changed! Finally the fashion world has recognized
there is a market for young, hip, plus size clothing and the internet is
the delivery vehicle. The internet has forced choice on the fashion
manufacturers and they are slowly realizing the demand is there and
profitable. Forward thinking companies like Alight, Always for Me,
Torrid, b&lu, Lane Bryant and The Avenue are delivering plus size
teen fashions, in many choices and styles. Plus size teens still can't
find many options at the mall but that will no doubt change as the
popularity of the online plus size teen stores becomes evident.
Television shows like Oprah, Tyra and The View are featuring plus size
fashion shows as the norm and not the exception. The waif model is
morphing into a more realistic body type and fashion designers are
building their styles on "normal" women, rather than designing a size 0
and making it larger for their plus size customers.
This notion that plus size teens would rather hide because of their weight problem and then not need fashion is being replaced with the realization that with body acceptance comes a greater ability to deal with weight issues. Again, stars like Oprah, Tyra and plus size model Emme have consistently asked for change in the way society treats plus size teens and adults. Slowly our image of a beautiful woman or attractive man isn't limited to skin and bones, but includes all shapes and sizes. This new, healthy way of looking at size and style will ultimately help plus size teens feel better about themselves both mentally and physically. Hopefully the fashion world will embrace these new body types and retail possibilities and continue to expand their lines with plus size clothing actually made just for plus size teens.
