I recently “liked” a Facebook page called Voluptous Vixens, which posts pictures of big, beautiful women looking fabulous. I love it, it gives me hope.
…You CAN be fat AND sexy!
But I didn’t know where these women find their clothes, because as far as I can tell, everything over size Medium looks like it was rejected by the fashion police as “too hideous for normal people to wear”.
We went to Value Village recently to try and find me some new shirts. I kept finding really cute ones, and then realizing that I was in the Small or Medium section. Cute top with a picture of two sushis saying “Soy happy together”? Small. Flatteringly cut empire waist top? Small. Cute black tank? Medium.
And then you move into the Large and Extra Large section, and all you can find are shirts like this:
Finally! The hairy-chest look for women!
For people with fond memories of ‘The Electric Company”
For those who no longer care
For those who confuse “precious” with “stylish”
Just… no.
For those who think bright red is slimming, and golden stars are great all year round
Another hairy shirt! THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE
Because nothing says “feel thin” like horizontal stripes and a baggy shape
Why yes, that IS green velvet. GREEN VELVET.
So then I gave up and went to real stores, where everything, even larges, make me look like I’m still pregnant.
I ended up going to Penningtons.
When I walked in, I thought I had entered heaven. Stylish clothes! People heavier than me! A dress I couldn’t wait to get my hands on because it looked so great for summer, so slimming, and such a perfect in-between of dressy and casual.
I spent two hours in there.
…and emerged empty handed.
It turns out that while my waist is a size 17, my upper body, and legs below the waist, are drowned in even Pennington’s smallest sizes.
Which is when I realized that ALL my weight is carried in my belly. In fact, looking at my profile, I can see that I DO, actually, still look pregnant.
It’s like my belly, which had started to gently expand shortly before my fated ultrasound, never went back.
I’ve always kept my weight on my belly, and now it’s worse than ever.
And I don’t know what to do. I’ve been eating low calorie, thanks to the girl diet, but my belly hasn’t budged.
So, basically, I’m too thin to be a Voluptuous Vixen, and too fat to fit normal clothes.
…Should I just buy maternity shirts and accept people’s congratulations?
If By Yes 
Honestly, I WOULD look at maternity shirts. I mean, what’s the real difference between an empire waisted shirt from a regular store and one from a maternity store? No one needs to know what the label says! I have a couple of maternity shirts I was wearing for quite a while before getting pregnant, and I know others who have done so. Check out the maternity section of VV next time you go. 🙂
I know people who have this very same problem. Have you tried additionelle? J find sometimes their ‘x’ fits small
Yeah, my proportions are all out too… it really sucks when it comes to buying off the rack and as yet I cannot afford a personal seamstress…sigh.
I am new here. 😉
I almost always buy at thrift stores and yes, the selection is horrible! Most of the tops are something a woman that goes by the name, “Great Aunt Bernice” would wear. The same shirts that Jerry’s mom wore on Seinfeld. And made of polyester. I just need an pair of polyester stretch pants to complete the ensemble.
If it makes you feel any better my youngest is 15 and I still have not lost the pregnancy weight! You have oodles of time before you become…me.
Yeah, this is me right now. My stomach is totally throwing off my sizing. It didn’t happen after #1 but after #2 it’s just ALL there, all the weight and I still look pregnant 18 months later.
Because it’s jiggly belly I have to wear a belt and I wear maternity yoga pants a lot. But at least since it’s summer I’m wearing a lot of empire waist dresses that are loose in the tummy. It’s great because it actually fits my bust and shoulders and my stomach is much less noticeable. Everything else is a disaster. *sigh*
As someone who has been around the weight loss block a time or two, I can tell you that your very low calorie diet might get you a girl but it likely won’t help with weight loss. Particularly with MFP, they already calculate in a calorie defecit so if it’s telling you to eat 1200 calories and you’re only consuming 1000 or eating 1200 and then burning 400 in the gym without working them off, you’ve gone past the point of fueling your body to effectively take weight off. There are tons of topics about it on the forums.
Oh din’t worry, I am not eating THAT low calorie. Anything less than 1400 impairs your fertility!
Those are some fugly clothes.
If it’s around your belly area, could be that your adrenals are no longer producing enough cortisol, from prolonged physical and/or emotional stress. You can always have a look at this questionnaire and see how you score: http://tpauk.com/articles/3054-medical-questionnaires-a-adrenal-stress-questionnaire/
In the UK, we have some plus-size online shops, and there used to be an Evans in town, but they have closed down. The only bits left are two general clothing warehouse kind of places which happen to carry a little Evans, but generally, it’s just online. They do trousers to suit your body type – huzzah! 🙂
I’ve wondered if cortisol is somehow involved. Lord knows I am under enough stress. The link didn’t work though 😦
Weird. I wonder if it’s region blocked or something??? I’ll email you a PDF. It’s one of them things that require a pen & paper (or Notepad) anyhoo.