Comments on: Female Competitive Syndrome Part II: But You Blog about Fashion http://fatchic.net/2008/08/28/female-competitive-syndrome-part-ii-but-you-blog-about-fashion/ Plus size clothing finds for fabulous women Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:00:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: artgeek http://fatchic.net/2008/08/28/female-competitive-syndrome-part-ii-but-you-blog-about-fashion/comment-page-1/#comment-13868 artgeek Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:41:49 +0000 http://fatchic.net/?p=1560#comment-13868 I have a multiplicity of reactions to this. On one hand, do I admire someone who has a good style or look? Do I think some venues and situations call for certain types of dress? Yes. On the flip side, saying any type of person (by age, by size) should avoid a type of clothing kind of sets my teeth on edge. In the case of the comment of the capris, there are just so many variables that it makes your rule almost worthless. Not only determining what is plus size and what is not, but also factoring in the immense variety in our bodies: short, tall, big on top, big on bottom, wide hips, shapely calves, etc. In trying to think this out, I think I have such a strong reaction to dogmatic "X shouldn't be worn by Y" because such advice usually isn't offered as helpful but comes more frequently from the place where people say spandex should be banned. Which is to say, the "advice" isn't about helping someone find something they feel comfortable in and look good in, it instead speaks solely to the eye of the viewer; it says, "I don't want to see tight-fitting clothes on fat people. I don't want to see cleavage of anyone over 35. I am uncomfortable with the reality of people's bodies." To which I say, "Other people do not exist for your aesthetic pleasure." So many of the things we encounter during the day ARE made for our eye, airbrushed adverts mostly. But that is not the purpose of other people and nine times out of ten, that's also not the purpose of their clothes. Like the blogs judging the fashion of Michael Phelps' mom; she wasn't at the Olympics as a brand ambassador for Chico's, she merely bought clothes she felt happy and comfortable in (I hope) while doing the important things in her day: the amazing experience of being at the Olympics and cheering on her son. I don't mind people judging the fashion down a runway, in glossy magazines, or even, to some extent, of celebrities, but when it comes down like a hammer on us everyday folk, I think it too often verges on the cruel and doesn't take into account our lack of stylists, etc and our general desire to just put clothes on and get on with our days. I guess, overall, I like the positive side of fashion, the DOs rather than the DON'Ts: blogs that cover street fashion and congratulate people on successful looks, the inspiration behind fatchic sharing a variety of sources for and styles of plus-size clothing. I know it creates an imbalance (ie, if I call attention to someone who looks great, I'm immediately also lumping everyone else into a less successful or mediocre crowd), and I don't know how to resolve that...so that's probably my cue to stop taking up space in your blog =) I have a multiplicity of reactions to this. On one hand, do I admire someone who has a good style or look? Do I think some venues and situations call for certain types of dress? Yes. On the flip side, saying any type of person (by age, by size) should avoid a type of clothing kind of sets my teeth on edge.

In the case of the comment of the capris, there are just so many variables that it makes your rule almost worthless. Not only determining what is plus size and what is not, but also factoring in the immense variety in our bodies: short, tall, big on top, big on bottom, wide hips, shapely calves, etc.

In trying to think this out, I think I have such a strong reaction to dogmatic “X shouldn’t be worn by Y” because such advice usually isn’t offered as helpful but comes more frequently from the place where people say spandex should be banned. Which is to say, the “advice” isn’t about helping someone find something they feel comfortable in and look good in, it instead speaks solely to the eye of the viewer; it says, “I don’t want to see tight-fitting clothes on fat people. I don’t want to see cleavage of anyone over 35. I am uncomfortable with the reality of people’s bodies.”

To which I say, “Other people do not exist for your aesthetic pleasure.”

So many of the things we encounter during the day ARE made for our eye, airbrushed adverts mostly. But that is not the purpose of other people and nine times out of ten, that’s also not the purpose of their clothes. Like the blogs judging the fashion of Michael Phelps’ mom; she wasn’t at the Olympics as a brand ambassador for Chico’s, she merely bought clothes she felt happy and comfortable in (I hope) while doing the important things in her day: the amazing experience of being at the Olympics and cheering on her son.

I don’t mind people judging the fashion down a runway, in glossy magazines, or even, to some extent, of celebrities, but when it comes down like a hammer on us everyday folk, I think it too often verges on the cruel and doesn’t take into account our lack of stylists, etc and our general desire to just put clothes on and get on with our days.

I guess, overall, I like the positive side of fashion, the DOs rather than the DON’Ts: blogs that cover street fashion and congratulate people on successful looks, the inspiration behind fatchic sharing a variety of sources for and styles of plus-size clothing. I know it creates an imbalance (ie, if I call attention to someone who looks great, I’m immediately also lumping everyone else into a less successful or mediocre crowd), and I don’t know how to resolve that…so that’s probably my cue to stop taking up space in your blog =)

]]>