Online Lifestyle Magazine for Healthcare Workers by Pulse Uniform

Plus-Size Runway Sheds Light to Potential Industry, Uncertainty to Health

Anyone who’d see plus size women conquering the runway would ask where has all the skinny supermodels gone? Has the clothing industry lost its mind that it seems to advertize being fat is good now? On the contrary, certain manufacturers of plus size fashion apparels defend their stance by saying that they do want to clothe full-figured people nicely without saying to the public to fantasize obese people. And since the CDC said that 2 of every 3 Americans are overweight, they suppose plus-size market is a real good area for expansion.

The clothing industry can boost profit if it targets plus size customers, which in reality, makes up the most number of customers. But as some plus size designers put it, they want to expand on this market not because they see the buying power of full-figure sized customers but because they believe it’s these people’s right to shop easier for their clothing needs.

How much does the industry actually spend for plus size market? According NPD Group Chief Retail Analyst Marshall Cohen, “there was only 17% expenditure for women’s plus size apparel last year,” a number quite far from the actual 28% buying force from the group. As retailers hit the red line, they cut on the plus-size line. And it comes to facilities such as dressing rooms, plus size people will have to deal with the discomfort while fitting.

It’s a good thing that there are people and organizations working to fight for the rights of this overweight group. Just a couple of questions, though: If the clothing industry gives in to this “normal-reality” and create more plus size products, what would the world look like in the next 10 years? Don’t you think the hard-time finding well-fitting clothes could at least act as warning signal for the obese to get serious about improving their health?

I think allowing plus size industry to grow is basically setting an intensely solid ground for unhealthy lifestyle, considering the fact that obesity alone is unlikely to get solved soon. We are going to have generations all wrapped in the complications brought by obesity – diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure, etc. People won’t go to gym because their size doesn’t bother them much than it did before. They might not want to cut on their food intake because obesity is now more accepted in the society. It could become an option comparable to sexual preference; except those suffering from medical conditions, of course.

I’m all for healthy diet and healthy lifestyle, not against obese or anorexic. I do not condemn obese people for ending in the said situation. In fact, I also work for a company that aims to provide plus size health care workers with the nursing uniforms they need by offering made-to-order medical scrubs and lab coats. We provide fashion scrubs to plus size women just as they are being offered to regular and petite individuals. But let’s face it, people would lead healthier lives if we put off those unnecessary fats. And although, indirectly, by having slimmer bodied models in the front line, the world of fashion is able to instill in the minds of people that staying slim and healthy is always ideal.



About Mecheil Lewis