Enter the World of Plus Sized Fashion

Welcome to the world of fashion through the eyes of a Plus Model. As a member of the Culturs team, I will be sharing my personal experiences as a model, advice, and fashion related news. Consider this your one stop shop for all things curvy girl related. I will be your official tour guide through this ever changing world of fashion from an insider’s point of view.

First things first, let’s address the elephant in the room and discuss the term “plus” or “plus sized.” For those of you who don’t know, this term applies to women who wear size 6 – 26, and up. However, I don’t think a woman should be considered to be a “plus” anything unless she’s at least a size 14 and up. I’m personally on the higher end of a petite plus spectrum coming in on a sliding scale of a 14/16. What’s weird about my category is that I get grief from curvier women because they consider me to be skinny, which makes me laugh uncontrollably because I almost never get referred to as skinny. I’ve been a big girl all of my life and I’m proud of it. While I may not be as big as some of the women in the plus category, I have faced my own share of hate, jokes, embarrassments, and battles with self-esteem. I refuse to allow those types of experiences define me, and I use that those moments to fuel my desire to be better than the rest because I’m worth it.

The newly coined term for the plus sized woman happens to be “curvy;” which some feel to be a little less offensive and more politically correct. I could really care less which term you use, because I’ve been called worse. What I will say is “watch out for the big girl!!” We’re finally gaining the attention and support of designers and retailers who are realizing more and more with each passing season that our dollars count!

I find that more people of color or those of island decent tend to be more accepting of a Plus Sized Woman. To us, it’s just normal and nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s embraced and not a source of ridicule. As a child, I remember hanging out with my family in Jamaica and them always being so proud of my size. In fact, they would grab hold of me and not let go. I’ve been surrounded by big beautiful women all of my life, as most of us have. We’ve been taught to embrace a healthy woman who’s been raised on rice and peas, and not to run from her.

Here’s a little food for thought… the average American woman wears a 14 or 16. The size at which “plus” truly begins.  Yet most standard clothing outlets cater to sizes 14 or smaller. Go figure?

Well a change is a comin’… and this Plus Model is going to be a part of history in the making!