Plus Size is Beautiful
Posted by Jen Anderson on
Google tells me that "plus size is beautiful" is a phrase people search for fairly regularly. I find this encouraging. People aren't asking if plus size is beautiful - they know it is. Or at least they know that many people have that opinion. Around these parts, we know that plus size women are beautiful. Let's examine what that really means.
What Even Is Beauty?
That sounds a bit too philosophical but it's worth thinking about. Beauty really is extremely subjective. We all remember that episode of the Twilight Zone (Eye of the Beholder) where a "hideously ugly" woman was gorgeous by our standards and the "normal" people had fairly-unattractive-to-humans faces. It's a massive exaggeration (the ugly people all live apart from society like lepers? really?) that gets the point across powerfully.
I bring this up because we can remind ourselves that larger ladies have been the ideal in past times, but we can just as easily dismiss that fact. It's just too close to home for us to see clearly. But that Twilight Zone episode, made in the conformist 1950s, makes it clear that conformity is what's considered attractive.
I'm talking about conformity to an ideal, not to the majority. Throughout modern history, the ideal female form is whatever is only attainable to the wealthy - fat when only rich people had enough food, and thin when only rich people had the time and resources to diet and exercise their bodies into submission. If matching the majority was what made someone beautiful, then there'd be no question about the beauty of the 60% of women who wear plus sizes.
Beauty is whatever we think it is, whatever elicits that primal response in us.
What Makes Plus Size Clothing Beautiful?
Not all plus size clothing actually is beautiful. What separates the good clothes from the bad is the designers' opinion of plus size bodies. Someone who thinks that plus size women are beautiful designs clothing that enhances that beauty. Someone who doesn't produces clothes meant to hide the wearer's body and make them fade into the background.
Which is why I don't recommend giving your money to people who clearly don't respect you. It's not just a matter of principle - it's how you get clothes that fit well and look good on your body.
You don't need to research every clothing designer to be able to distinguish the good from the bad. You just need to trust your instincts. If a piece of clothing triggers that "hey, this is beautiful" reaction in you, then it is beautiful. Then remember the brands and retailers that make you feel that way. You might not love every single garment they offer, just like not every piece is designed for your body shape. But they're a reliable source of beauty.
You're Beautiful
I don't care how much you disagree with that statement. You are beautiful. Remember, we usually only see ourselves at rest - in the mirror or in a photo. But everyone else sees us laughing, and talking, and lighting up from within. That's why candid photos are more compelling than posed ones.
That gut feeling you get when looking at something beautiful? Your friends and family get that feeling when they see you. Ergo, you're beautiful.
I really do believe that wearing beautiful plus size clothing can enhance your own beauty. It reminds you that you're beautiful, which makes you feel confident, which makes you even more beautiful.