Good Evening!
Over recent weeks you may have seen different discussions on social media and blog posts about ‘Drop The Plus’. It is a campaign that is all about dropping the term plus size , mostly in the modelling industry. However it has grown and now people are campaigning to Drop The Plus everywhere, which gets a big FAT no from me!
Growing up in a larger body (and probably a smaller one) is not easy. I have nearly always loved by body, or at the very least liked it. There have been times when I have embraced it but not often I have hated it but I know I am a rare breed. The truth is that we’re surrounded by mainstream media and subliminal messages that tell us we’re wrong if we’re overweight.
So, How can I love my body when so many people are telling me that I shouldn’t? Quite simply, the term ‘Plus Size.
For starters it has allowed me since the age of 14 to look up influences that I want to see, not what the media thinks I should see. Yes as a teenager it can be scary looking up (On Ask Jeeves of all places #Old) the word plus size, but let’s face it there is so much in our teenager years that is scary so this is kind of small in the grand scheme of things. Even back then searching plus size fashion online bought up a number of influences, Google the term now and you’re literally bombarded with images!
As a teenager and even as a grown up, helping our bodies to feel normal is one of the best ways to encourage us to love the skin we’re in. When you feel like you’re the only fat girl in the world, it can be a lonely place. Google plus size bloggers and you get to see that there are hundreds of girls exactly like YOU who are rocking it every single day! Surrounding yourself by this media helps you to feel much more at ease with your body, trust me it works.
And then there is the topic of clothes shopping! I dream of a day when I can walk into a clothing shop, pick out any item and know that they stock it in my size however we all know that is a reality that is far from the truth. So, rather than wander into shops and browse websites and guess (usually with disappointing results) whether they sell items for me I can look for plus size retailers and know that I am far more likely to get positive results. Yes, perhaps one day we’ll live in a world where we don’t have plus size retailers and instead every shop will stock clothes for everyone, but honestly I think we’re a long, long way off of that!!
Rather than getting rid of the term plus size completely, I think we need to take away the power it holds over some people. The truth is that being plus size is COMPLETELY OK! You don’t have to feel sad if you’re classed as plus size, it’s just a label and doesn’t have any baring on your life, your good qualities etc. I believe that rather than worrying about whether we should be calling people plus size or not, we should be putting our efforts into teaching girls to love their bodies and embrace their size (whatever that happens to be). Once you love the skin you’re in, the label that people put on it is harmless!
So, those are my opinions on the DropThePlus Campaign… but what do you think? Do you embrace the term plus size or think it should be eradicated?
I put the feelers out for some positive thoughts on plus size and here is what people had to say!
Nikki from Natty Nikki “I think we should keep it! I call myself a plus size blogger because that is what I am. When I search for clothes online I look for plus size options in google to find the clothes in my size. I have no problem with the term to me it is the same as using petite or tall in clothing sections.”
Filipa “I think it should be kept for multiple reasons, I don’t see it as a bad or offensive thing. How else would we find the shops that carry our sizes?“
Leah from Just Me Leah “I think we should keep it. I can see why ‘plus size’ models don’t want to be called plus, because they’re not, but we all know a size 12 IS plus size in the modelling world. But for the women who ARE plus size and identify as being so, what else should we call ourselves? For instance I call myself plus size because it’s a descriptor. I’m happy to refer to myself as fat in most areas of my life but many people aren’t on the same journey as me and get upset by the word, so plus size is a judgement free term for me”
Becky S “Plus size helps me find clothes that fit! I don’t view it as an insult – it’s a description of the clothes I wear”
Kat from A Curvy Cupcake I’m all for #keeptheplus. Its just a search term at the end of the day. The people who want to drop it are the same people who would be up in arms if plus size stores like Evans, Yours etc were called “fat shops” or something. So what do we call plus size ranges? Because we all know size inclusivity is a looong way away so you can’t just not categorize. It’d be too hard to find anything!”
You can also listen to Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust talking about the topic here.
So… what do you think?
Debz xx
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
