(no subject)

[tree_talking]

annechen67 linked to this brilliant essay, which I wholeheartedly agree with.

For the reasons stated herein, my main goal is to learn to design and make my own clothing. I already need to do serious alteration (not that it ever actually happens; I usually end up wearing it ill-fitting) to just about everything I buy. I'm short, small-boned, and overweight. My body type has never been in style.

What do you think? I'm really quite interested in clothes, how people think about them, and what sorts of issues women have with them. Feel free to discuss. Pass the link on if you agree.

Comments

[silveraspen]

I think that the women's fashion industry is something that could very easily give me hives. I am tired of shoddy workmanship, even on things that carry a ridiculously high price tag -- right now I'm thinking of a coat, which I had to resew all the buttons for.

I am in possession of the (stereotypical?) "hourglass figure," and it has always, always, ALWAYS been difficult to find clothing that fits. Shirts don't button or they gap, being cut on a square and not any sort of curve; jeans or pants that fit my length of leg and hip measurement also have about 2-3 inches of excess material in the waist. (Exception: low-rise jeans, which fit across my hips well, and so I wear them instead and deal with the other issues related to that cut).

It's wearying. Extremely.

[shellebelle93.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me with the hourglass figure as well. I also am in the possession of a ridiculously large chest, which it is impossible to find bras to fit in regular stores. I haven't had a bra that really fits me in years. I just can't afford it!

I've also noticed something, as the sizes are "vanity reduced"--women are getting fatter as the sizes get sized up. In Supersize Me someone made the observation as well that in cultures where the ideal is very thin, the women conversely battle with weight more. I haven't looked at any of the statistics on this, but it's an interesting concept.

I myself have had the curious sensation of "overeating because I want so desperately to lose weight."