Being a Plus-Size

For those that know me, I am a Plus-Size gal.  The last time I could wear anything under a size 32 was over 25 years ago, and it's not looking like I will ever be wearing anything that size again anytime in the foreseeable future. So what's a girl to do in order to wear good looking, fairly fashionable clothing without looking like a frumpy dowager or a large-size 20-something that thinks she actually looks good and sexy in those tight jeans and t-shirt and never sees the muffin top in between them.  I'm no fashionista but I think I know what looks good.

Being a Plus-Size means I have to look long and hard to find clothing that is fashionable, in good taste, and affordable.  That last one is hard to do though.  I'm on a fixed income and lately have been finding it difficult to pay bills, much less buy clothes.  And on those rare occasions when I actually can get something new I have to consider many different factors before I actually shell out the money.  The main one being durability.  If I can't afford to replace clothing right away it needs to be able to stand up to the wear and tear of daily life.  So flimsy fabrics are out of the question.

So what about dresses?  They're okay, as long as they show some or your shape.  Anyone ever hear of  a muumuu?  That was a dress style made popular in Hawai'i after the missionaries arrived, especially the women missionaries.  God Forbid the native Hawaiian women be caught showing their breasts and inciting the missionary men to have carnal thoughts! Women may not have had the Vote back then, but they sure wielded a lot of power socially.  It was the wives of the ranchers that really tamed the Wild West, not the Remington Rifle.  But I digress.  Missionary women taught the Hawaiian women to sew a style of dress they designed that would cover all the of the body's "naughty bits" and the Hawaiians dubbed it the Muumuu.  Today there are dress styles know as a Float, a Trapeze, and something called "free-and-easy styling" that are all synonymous with the Muumuu: a long (in some cases), flowing dress with no definite shape that can be slipped on over the head.  The only time such dresses should be worn is when one is at home relaxing.

Pants: to my mind they should be avoided at all costs. At least on me. There are some fashionistas that feel that large women can wear pants or trousers and tapered pants at that.  I'm sorry, pants are not something many large women can wear and look good in yet still be comfortable.  And it doesn't help that most of the pants on the market for large women are polyester or poly/cotton knits which show off every bump and bulge no matter how loose fitting.  Large women, as a rule, want to avoid showing off every bump and bulge.  And the fitted waistbands are a joke for a women with a lot of belly fat.  There is absolutely no way to sit comfortably without straining the button on the waistband so much that it will eventually pop off and hit someone or something like in a group of commercials for Subway(r) several years ago where the fly buttons popped off and were sent flying across rooms with comical results.

And don't get me started about leggings. Leggings should be outlawed. Any woman who has legs like mine should not wear leggings. The only women that truly look good in leggings are the ones who's legs are more muscle than fat.  If one has "thunder thighs" like mine then leggings are not a good fashion choice.

When one is plus-size and amply endowed on top, low cut tops that let the breasts spill out are also not a good idea.  A V-neck shirt or top the shows a minimum of cleavage is fine, but you probably want to avoid the hooker look.

Speaking of cleavage that speaks to the type of bra used.  I use to have the hardest time finding a bra that fit because manufacturers usually didn't make them large enough.  Then I stopped wearing them for 5 or 6 years.  When I started wearing one again I found a company that made a bra that was comfortable and in my size.  So when you're shopping for a bra, be sure to measure yourself.  Most places say that you should measure around the top of the bust just under the arms, but that's wrong.  You need to measure around the chest just under the breasts. That measurement is the size of the bra-band.  For your cup size, just try on a bunch of different bras that fit your chest measurement with different cup sizes.  If your breasts spill out of the cup, then it's too small.  If you breasts fill the cups but the cup has gaps and it looks like you could have room for more, then it's too big.  Your breasts should fill the cup without spilling out or leaving gaps.  It may take a while to find the right bra, but when you do you'll be quite happy.

As for other foundation garments (i.e. girdles), that's purely personal choice.  I don't wear them because I don't like feeling like toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube because most foundation garments don't come in my size and are way too tight.  And then there are the bathroom concerns as one gets older and the call of nature can become extremely urgent in a matter of seconds. 

To me, Plus-size clothes should be fairly loose fitting to ensure comfort, fashionable enough to not feel like I'm out of style, and durable enough that I don't have to be constantly replace things.  Stain repellent would be nice, too, because I have a nasty habit of spilling things on myself.