Comments on: Health warnings on extra-large clothing?

By: LCforevah

LCforevah — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 17:01:09 +0000

Way back when my friends and I were skinny, broke, and working in retail to pay our way through college, I had a friend who was a size 32. He had to grab whatever came in at that size and hide it as he checked it in, because retail, like all biz, works on a bell curve. The most of anything was 36,38, and anything over or above that was 2 0r 3 pieces. He was lucky that any style came in with one piece of 32!

This of course, was way before the fad of baggy clothes on young men.

As I got obese, I found out that women’s large clothing is 1) made to look good on the hanger. 2)uses fabrics that were in style years ago, recycled from “normal clothing.” 3) is made to fit the largest amount of different types of fat body styles, so it doesn’t matter where you carry your fat, the clothes are going to be “fat all over” !!

I want to make two points. The clothing business is about business and not fit. They make the most with the least amount of custom and fit. In any size. Find a local seamstress or tailor and make them your friend. It is an absolute waste of time going around from store to store thinking it’s going to be different since they all follow the same business model.
If you think that businesses are going to put in any kind of size warning label without a fight forget it!

Hi LC–

Thanks for the info.� I’ll have to trust your judgment on this one because it is way out of my area of expertise.

Cheers–

MRE

By: helen

helen — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:56:40 +0000

I think they should put labels on things that look like that outfit in the picture saying “if you buy this you are enabling an industry that thinks fat people have no taste or class”
I don’t know why fat people have to wear such ugly big patterned things no skinny person would be seen dead in!

Hi Helen–

I’m not going to enter this debate:)

MRE

By: Paul B.

Paul B. — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 22:45:19 +0000

Interesting. The flip side of this is that these days, slender people have a hard time finding clothes that fit. I’m 5′8, 155-158 lbs with about 8% bodyfat and sometimes it takes all day to find clothes that fit well.

Hi Paul–

Better buy a lot of clothes now while you can find them; if things keep going as they are in a few years clothing for slender people may no longer be manufactured due to lack of demand.

Cheers–

MRE

By: jpatti

jpatti — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 17:45:00 +0000

The assumption seems to be that fat people don’t *know* they’re fat.

Like, if you’re buying a 3X size caftan, you somehow think you’re skinny and need to be informed you’re incorrect.

Hi jpatti-

Exactly.

Best–

MRE

By: Cindy Moore

Cindy Moore — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 16:40:40 +0000

Are they also going to put warnings on size 0 for 1-800-Iam-anna (anorexic)?

When my kids were little I was threatened with DSS because my daughter was “too thin” and the overweight kids were ignored. Now we’re going to do the opposite?

Hi Cindy–

In my opinion, the world has way too many busybodies.� Many of them seem to find their way onto boards of property owner’s associations in places I’ve owned property.

Best–

MRE