Last week, a post on the shrinking plus size marketplace, Where Have All The Plus Size Clothes Gone?, brought out strong feelings from many sides. An anonymous commenter left a passionate and thorough comment, with the main focus centered around the health issues associated with being plus-sized.  While it is true that many who wear a size 12+ are unhealthy due to poor eating habits or lack of exercise, there are also those who are healthy, active and happy despite their size.  I am one such woman.

I've always been larger than my peers in most ways.  In 4th grade, I was 5'8".  By 7th gade, I was 6'0" and wearing a size 9/10.  I was so thin I was teased for having "chicken legs" yet I felt giant.  Presently I am 6'2", a size 26 and wear a size 12 shoe - my point is, I have always been on the plus size side and even if I made every possible attempt to be "thin", I would still wear plus size clothing.  I could be unhappy with my size and disappointed that I allowed myself to eat ice cream last night but that is not my personality.  I celebrate the fact that I am a confident, beautiful woman and make no apologies for my size.  If I am not happy with myself, how can I expect anyone else to be?

Jon Robinson created an entire approach dedicated to health and self-acceptance called Health At Every Size.  There are three core components of Health At Every Size:  self acceptance, physical activity, and normalized eating. Health professionals who believe in Health At Every Size have come together to form the Association For Size Diversity and Health. At the ASDAH website, you can locate a professional who can guide you to better health while being supportive of your journey.

From Robin Baskin, Vice President of E-Commerce for Hanover Direct - Silhouettes:

"Unfortunately our culture enables some unhealthy patterns.  Routine consumption of fast food, meal portions that are too large, and lifestyles that are too sedentary. But regardless of this state of reality, taking ownership of one's health is without a doubt the responsibility of the individual, not a corporation.   That being said, it’s important to consider the well-being of someone beyond their outward appearance.  There are women who are very thin but are actually unhealthy, and others that are curvy and bigger boned but very healthy.  Those larger women still want and need to look good. And it has to start somewhere.  In my opinion, if a woman chooses to improve her overall fitness, feeling confident is where her journey of self-improvement begins.  When a woman sees her reflection in the mirror as she's about to start her day, if she's happy with how she looks, how her clothes fit her and make her feel,  it will hopefully encourage her to make healthier choices and keep the positive momentum going until she reaches her personal goal. Whatever that goal is."

Lets face the facts: everyone has something they want to change about their body. I have known size 0's who thought they were just as large as a size 26 and others who continuously pursue plastic surgery as a quick fix for what they're really unhappy with. Instead of being so concerned with what size we are or how we're not like someone else, make it a point today to tell someone how beautiful they are.

We are constantly evolving, facing new challenges and having to remind ourselves how fantastic we are.  Take a lesson from Rachel Phipps, a teenager dedicated to making women feel better about themselves by founding Who Wants To Be A Size Zero Anyway.  Check out her video "Socks & The City" below - you'll be glad you did.

Socks & The City from Battlefronters on Vimeo.

Diary of A Mad Fashionista shared the Silhouettes love by telling her readers about our sandal selection.

Young, Fat, & Fabulous has great coverage from Full Figure Fashion Week, including runway photos.

Fat Girls Like Nice Clothes Too celebrates the launch of Beth Ditto's line for Evans by sharing photos from the party.

Newsweek posted a video of Sharon Quinn discussing the state of the plus size marketplace as well as video of Full Figure Fashion Week's runway.

The economy is getting a really bad reputation.  Every product failure, bottom line and red number has a company, an economist or a reporter blaming the "recession".  It is no secret that major corporations have taken a hit, not to mention some small businesses are barely making ends meet. Why does every loss have to be because of the economy?  Whatever state the economy is in, I'll leave it to the analysts to debate as I am no financial expert.  What I do know is that we have to change the way we think (and the way we shop), especially if we want to encourage the growth of the plus size market.

Major retailers like Ann Taylor are pulling size 16s from their selling floor to offer them exclusively online. Ellen Tracy and Bloomingdale's have also made moves towards eliminating their plus size lines entirely. Old Navy initially offered plus sizes in stores until the line performed so poorly due to fit that it was reintroduced online.  Who is to blame for major brands being unable to adequately serve the plus size consumer?  It's certainly not the consumer's fault, as plus size women do not wander streets of the world au naturale!

Additional fabrics, patterns and fit models cost a brand 10% more to produce on average.  As a plus size consumer, I am fully aware that it takes more fabric to cover my body than a size 2 or 10 and I am prepared for those costs to be passed on to me.  Designer Tadashi Shoji utilizes a plus size fit model to adapt his designs for larger sizes, as many companies do.  If a man who creates gorgeous evening wear worn by celebrities can understand the need, why can't brands that embrace the working woman? Plus size women have different needs than straight sizes, however the same can be said for other segments within the fashion marketplace, such as petite or tall sizes.

Each woman has her own challenges in regards to finding clothing which best suits her body type and not every customer can be served 100% of the time. Sales of apparel sized 16+ have dropped 8% from March 2008 through March 2009 in comparison to 2% for straight sizes. The NPD Group estimated in 2001 that 60% of Americans wearing a size 12+, with 50% of Americans wearing 14+ and 30% wearing a 16+.  In 2005 plus size clothing sales were $31,954 million while straight sizes sold $77,100 million.  The plus size industry had an estimated value of $35 million in 2006 of which 99% of the industry is clothing related.  All of these facts and figures leave us with one simple answer:  there is a large demand for plus size clothing and money to be spent.  But why do straight size brands who dip their toe into the plus size market garner all the attention?

These brands are "testing" plus size clothing lines (for example, Forever 21 and Faith 21) and releasing press releases about the introduction of a plus size line when one already existed in stores (Target).  Perhaps if brands approached the plus size consumer from a business standpoint rather than trend marketing, more brands would flourish in the marketplace.

What these articles fail to mention are the brands serving the plus size consumer and doing it well - designers and buyers who understand their customer, embrace their customer and exceed their customer's expectations.  To be honest, in the plus size marketplace it is not that difficult to do.  We have been so let down by major brands thinking because they have name recognition and a certain amount of recources they can do it better that our expectations are lowered (and they shouldn't be).

I prefer to patronize brands that support me and understand my needs.  I am not a figment of your imagination or a trend that will be gone within the next 6 months.  I am not going to have plastic surgery, try the next "it" diet or wear ill fitting clothes just because of a label and a good marketing campaign.  I have clothing needs and companies want money - why can't we all just get along?