F is for F That!

F is for F that is my rant title. Be warned. I am moving a few good articles I wrote from my old blog over here for you to see and comment on.

Today’s topic: the high cost of shopping big.

Recovering financially from a big purchase of big clothes can take a lot of time. I see and hear a lot of bloggers and plus friends who struggle to make ends meet and maintain a fashionable wardrobe. While it’s true that thrift stores, bargin buys, and sale racks help alleviate some of the strain on our wallets, it no less shows the inequality between straight sized women and plus women when it comes to money spent on clothes.

Let’s be blunt, it does take a fraction more time and maybe a half a yard more material to make a shirt or dress a few sizes bigger. It seems reasonable, fiscally, that there would be a marginal price markup for the time and materials it takes to make our clothes. Why is it then that I can’t even shop the front racks of Lane Bryant or Torrid where a simple button up is $50.00 compared to other stores where they are $20.00? Why are we gladly handing over money to Etsy designers who charge thirty five more dollars for a simple circle skirt with material that costs $8.00 a yard?

Stores that cater to large women insult us with extreme mark ups.

These stores are no more our friend that those that cater only to small women or those that only hire modelesque store clerks. They use the same tactics of putting women at a disadvantage for just being big. And having been to a Men’s XL store searching for clothes for my 6’4” boyfriend I can tell you that the same discrimination applies to men!

So what do we do? We can keep shopping thrift, making cautious large purchases, and spending months recovering from our basic shopping. Or we can act. We can demand explanations for pricing. Tell these companies what we are not going to buy from them unless they make a valid effort to make clothing more affordable. Boycott! Get angry! Make demands! It’s our right as consumers.