Leave Some to Me! Why Viral Trends Hurt Plus Size

If you’ve been on any social media platform in the past few years, you’ve probably seen the growing trend of straight people to save on plus size items to turn items into a DIY project, often for one-time use. . When finished with the DIY’er project the items are no longer the same size and sometimes the end result is something they can buy outright for a comparable price.

Another trend you may have encountered is that normal-sized people buy the largest size item they can find to buy an oversized T-shirt or sweatshirt. Often times, the person is objectively skinny and could buy an XL and get the plus-size look without having to dive into the plus-size supply.

Why Are These Trends a Problem?

First, we would like to point out that there are many companies that create plus-size garments specifically for straight bodies. Amazon, Abercrombie and Fitch, H&MAmerican Eagle, Free People, Zara – the list of companies for oversized options already available on the market for straight people goes on and on.

We’ve seen real-time effects, especially when these trends go viral on social media. In one example, the poster purchased a size 9XL sweatshirt, disseminating this information to millions of viewers, causing the sweatshirt to run out in sizes 5-9XL, causing the price to go up when they restocked the item. An additional point to note is that the retailer is the only brand that sells sizes 9XL on Amazon.

This means that people who need this size can’t buy it and it’s almost doubled in price when it’s available again.

only about 20% Although 70% of US women are at least a size 16, the bulk of the apparel market is geared towards plus size women.. This means that the remaining 80% of the clothing market is for straight sizes, which means there are many more options for them. Why would a conscientious person buy an item that is already so scarce?

When it comes to savings, it’s incredibly hard to find anything in plus sizes, especially if you’re looking for a size 3X or larger. Why? To begin with, we have fewer options in the clothing market, and even less availability of quality products that will continue to wear over time.

Because plus-size people experience this scarcity and lack of access, we tend to wear our clothing items until they literally fall apart, making it impossible to donate and eventually be saved by someone else.

Another thing to keep in mind is that plus size people tend to have lower working wages, especially when it comes to savings. According to an NIH study, “Overweight and obese” women earned 9% lower monthly wages and were half as likely to have bonus jobs as their thinner counterparts.. Because of this pay disparity, the availability of affordable plus size clothing is absolutely essential.

Advice to Our Heterosexual Friends

If you are not a plus size, do your best not to shop in the plus size section. Essentially, you’re buying an item from someone who could actually use it and most likely wear it out a lot!

Let everyone know how little plus size clothing is available. There are people who are uneducated about how big of a problem this really is.

You can even help when it comes to brands! When you see an ad for a brand no plus sizecomment and ask when they expanded their size.

In the meantime, make sure you support various apps. big size second hand stores and oversized vintage stores popping up across the US. Plus Bus, Second Hand CurvesAnd Second Hand Look are great places to start!

We cannot fight this battle alone and we need properly sized allies to help us bring about change! Go ahead and be sure to share this post with a friend or two to raise awareness!