I’m not fat but society will tell you differently. At 5’7 and nearing 145 lbs (as it varies due to diet and how often I work out, which now that its summer, read as daily), fashion magazines would call me plus-sized, overweight, unattractive and all that jazz. The department’s stores on the other hand still find me average as their sizes vary based on where the product was made.
Pretty much anything made in Korea, forget even trying to wiggle a finger into it for me. But I have never worn over a size 13 at any point in my life, right now I am around 8 or a 10 and sometimes those garments hang on me like shapeless bags. My upper half, admitting I still am trying to tame my waistline, as are most people- is my biggest battle as seeing I’m a 38 D bra size meanwhile my bottom half can still fit into a medium. To most women, this would be a Godsend but it makes it nearly impossible for me to wear summer dresses or the typical cute cut tank tops without coming off looking like a pole dancer. In fact, I’ve been planning a breast reduction as soon as I get a good insurance plan. However, as I did some research online I came across https://www.jets.com.au/shop/swimwear/one+piece with some of the best bathing suit designs at really affordable prices. What makes it more interesting is the fact that you also get the option of customizing your swim suit according to your needs.
For years the shape of how my body formed has made me feel like an outsider, an outcast, ugly. Even when I graduated high school after four years of playing basketball, softball, and cheerleading one year and took my diploma wearing a dress that was about a size 2 since I only weighed 98 lbs, I still felt like a freak with these giant boobs that distracted from any outfit I ever tried to shimmy into. Shopping for most people is a favorite activity while I in the meantime often cry when stores carry nothing that I can pull on over my top half without looking sleazy.
Now as it was time for swimwear season I was in for even more trouble.
Fashion would have young girls believe that the idea of a bikini is to have two tiny triangle swatches of material just barely conceal your nipples and you are ready to hit the beach. Swimsuit tops should leave you hanging out, busty, exposed and jiggly if you look at pictures in magazines. With little choice between a deep plunging V neck and bikini tops for those still considered young-even though some of the “mom suits” and even plus-sized, and maternity suits are now leaving very little to the imagination; either way you pretty much have your chest out. If you like most people who have an issue with an unflat tummy, or love handles in addition to not liking your boobs, then you are in for some serious upset.
Push-up suits are seriously useless to me, tops cut to fit about a fifteen-year-old who has very little boob to work with but sized to fit a grown woman is ridiculous. From working retail in the past, I can tell you seriously, just because you can physically pull something on your body doesn’t make it right. When I used to be a fitting room attendant and see what people thought was appropriate to leave the store with and go into public was often scandalous.
So you don’t want to be mistaken for a hooker and you don’t want to wear a burka to North Avenue beach either, what is a young woman to do?
In my case, the only thing that can be done is to find a bikini top that conceals as much breast as possible and put a thin t-shirt over the top. It is said there is no such thing as realistic sizing when it comes to the types of clothing found in the typical department store anymore. I’m too thin to be considered fat and too average to be considered skinny! Isn’t that most of the population though? Until the typical body size is being represented in clothing sizes most women are going to continue having this issue when buying clothes. How does that make sense to anyone?
Changing the numbers to make the sizes larger is not the answer if the cut of the clothes isn’t being changed as well. Call a 10 an 8 or a 6 if it sells more but does that make it fit any better if the original sizing scale still had you between sizes? Luckily I’m a t-shirts and jeans girl to save from having everything I own constantly tailored.
I hope that enough people out there having this same issue will help encourage designers to take a new approach. If not I’m just going to have to keep coming off cheap and sleazy since clothes aren’t cut to fit my body type.
