Yes, I know I harp on this subject, but let’s be honest. Why do our major stores, Myer, David Jones; the stores such as Cue, Noni B, Katies, The Iconic, Dotti, Portmans, Autograph, ts14Plus, even Sara and the discount stores K Mart, Target, Woolworths, refuse to get “with it” and treat their customers - particularly those of us with curves - with some respect? Online stores such as Virtu, City Chic, Dream Diva and Killer Curves have recognised the importance of showing young women who are full busted, round hipped, and deliciously curvy. No wonder these online stores are doing fantastic business. They are responsible in their endeavours to encourage the plus-size women that she can build upon her self-image, and most certainly add style to her wardrobe by wearing their clothes.
I walk into any of the so-called major stores in Collins Street and in our elite shopping malls and I don’t see ONE store mannikin that is a size 18 or larger. Why? Don’t the stores research their customers? Don’t they take time to look at the female form as it is today?
(This store mannikin below is the only one of size 16 that I have ever come across. It is in a salon in Perth, Western Australia.)
I ask a further but simple question here - do these stores insist on employing women of only a certain size (and age)? If they do, then that’s discrimination but I’ll not get into that at the moment.
I have contacts in the US who are coming to the conclusion that the “weight debate” has turned really nasty over there. Whatever strides we made during the latter part of the 90s and through the early 2000s have been lost in a sea of increased intolerance and ridicule. It offends me that our struggles to be understood and accepted as equals has been turned around and become more hurtful and disrespectful than they were a decade or more ago.
I guess it’s up to the young women of today who see the injustices and inconsistencies in the modern world, to take up the battle. Some of them are rather strident and unfortunately do themselves injustice by being militant and their language demeans the respect that we should show ourselves, let alone each other. However on the other side of the coin, many of these younger women are fighting with fire in their heart and their feistiness is infectious. I applaud them.
It’s time that we took stock of this whole subject of becoming invisible because of our size which means that we no longer have a place in people’s thinking; their attitude is that we’re fat and therefore we don’t deserve any consideration. Well, I have something to say to these people. You ain’t seen nothing yet!
We can turn the tide. We can make a difference. All it takes is a bit of get up and go. If we don’t like the way the stores treat us, then we have the privilege of letting them know. Verbally as well as by writing and telling them. We have the privilege of commenting via the internet. We have the privilege of contacting the newspapers, the television stations and radio stations and putting our views forward. We have the privilege of finding stores that cater to our needs and going there, whether it's in our local shopping mall or online from overseas. We have the privilege of networking with other women’s groups and bringing our case of discrimination forward. We can talk and we can listen.
What we don’t need to do is to sit still and wait for something to happen. Because you and I know that just is not the answer. If we don’t stand up for ourselves, then who is going to? Noone else. As far as the rest of society is concerned, if we’re not fighting for our rights, then why should they bother even thinking about us? And they’re right. It’s up to us.
This started out to be a short post on image and style, and I’ve gone off on a tangent - again. But let’s hear your comments. Let your friends know about this blog and ask them to “follow” it. Write to me, send in your thoughts, and if you’d like to be on our mailing list for RoseMary’s NoteBook©, then we’d be happy to welcome you and your friends.
Let’s keep this truck movin’.
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