SIZES

A call for current (and hot) plus-size clothes.

BY AMBER PHIPPS | PHOTOS BY JACOB DURBIN | DESIGN BY ABBY BURNS

The fashion industry is controlled by society and its unrealistic standards on women’s bodies. Society tells women they are beautiful only when they fit a specific beauty standard.

While there are companies striving for inclusivity and size representation, the cost of their products often exceeds out of most people’s price ranges. Even with cheaper, thrifted clothing, it can be just as difficult to find clothes that are sustainable and fit for plus-size individuals. Fashion has proven to be a fight that some people are determined to win no matter what it takes.

Kelley Lach, a junior at Ohio University studying integrated media, describes her personal experiences with plus-size fashion that fits her and represents her individuality.

“I just think thrifting is the best because it’s sustainable and you get pieces that no one else has,” Lach says. “And as someone who’s plus-size, I think thrifting can be a challenge.”

Lach is a strong advocate for purchasing sustainable fashion as a way to combat the fast fashion industry, which harms the environment and people’s perceptions of size. Toxic beauty standards that are based on preferences for smaller clothing sizes have created a plethora of problems for women while shopping.

“I think one distinction that a lot of plus-size fashion people are trying to get the industry to understand is that, first of all, they should make our sizes,” Lach says. “And second of all, they shouldn’t just make our sizes available online.” While online shopping is not always ideal, Lach shared a few of her go-to online stores that not only offer multiple sizes, but also have what she is looking for when it comes to fashionable pieces.

JOYTOAST, a company based in Chicago, made the list. Amy Lynn Straub started this clothing line to support size expansivity. Straub started this line about a year ago and works to change how society views plus-size fashion for every gender. She also experienced challenges when it came to finding clothes she enjoyed wearing, something that others can relate to.

“I think when I was a kid, I just pretended I didn’t like fashion and rejected it before it could reject me,” Straub says. “Because I didn’t fit in clothes and couldn’t express myself through clothing.”

Eventually, Straub refused to adhere to society’s standards and the imposed expectations on plus-size fashion. She loves wearing colorful clothing as a way to represent her individuality, so she decided to create her own business surrounding this passion.

“I think this truly came out of rage,” Straub says. “I probably wouldn’t even need to start a clothing line if literally any of the clothing lines that I loved were more inclusive.”

Size inclusivity, as the name indicates, focuses on having a broader range of sizes in the fashion industry. According to International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, a 2016 study reports that the average American woman wears a size 16-18 which corresponds with sizes 1X-2X.

There are so many people who are not able to shop off the rack due to the lack of sizes that realistically represent the human body. When size inclusivity is ignored, unrealistic standards are imposed and a failure to acknowledge how wonderfully diverse people are occurs.

“It was really important for me to not just be plus-size because I’m a firm believer that when things are separate, they’re never equal,” Straub says. “So, I wanted to run sizing the way it should be, which is [based] off of the way people’s bodies actually are.”

JOYTOAST’s “medium” starts at a traditional 2X and expands outward in both directions, creating more expansive options for the average person.

While online stores are becoming increasingly popular to suit people’s size and style needs, one thrift store in Athens has also been striving to provide plus-size clothing.

Upcycle Ohio is located on West Union Street and is a highly frequented thrift store among college students.

Kylee Minick is a sales associate at Upcycle Ohio and talks about the thrift store’s efforts to be a size-inclusive business.

“We definitely try to put out obviously as much plus sizes as we can,” Minick says. “The only problem with size is that not a lot of people donate larger sizes so when they do, we definitely put it out where you can see it.”

Upcycle Ohio’s system helps make the shopping experience of those looking for plus-size fashion easier.

Despite society’s unrealistic beauty standards and an overwhelming amount of the fashion industry making noninclusive clothing sizes, there are people combatting these issues.

“My experience isn’t unique at all, it’s really a common experience of feeling so excluded from fashion and feeling so excluded from being able to express yourself in the way that everyone else who’s straight size get to,” Straub says. “I think that what feels good about it is … I’m making a brand that I wish I had when I was younger.” b

BY DARCIE ZUDELL

PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK DESIGN BY RACHEL RECTOR