Tomorrow I am going to a family Father's Day gathering and on Monday I am leaving to go to the Indiana Dunes for five days as a last family trip before I move. Today after work I went in search of a bathing suit to wear on vacation, since I haven't owned one since I accidentally ruined mine last summer. I'm a large, plus size girl so bathing suit shopping is borderline torturous for me. My last bathing suit was from Forever21's plus line, so I thought that would be a good place to go grab something cheap.
A little backstory: I have shopped Forever21's plus line since they launched it, even when that meant going to Chicago to get stuff because no stores in Indiana carried the line. I was ecstatic when the Forever21 here expanded last year, and began carrying the plus line; however I noticed today that the plus section had shrunk a little, with the normal sizes encroaching on racks that used to hold plus items. There was also a rack of normal sized clothes right in the middle of the plus section, which was frustrating when I realized the cute shirt I wanted to try on didn't come in any size above a large.
Despite somewhat fluctuating body weight I have always worn the same size at Forever21 (2X), until this past Christmas. While shopping in December, I noticed that most of the dresses I was trying on were a bit tight and that I had to size up, despite the fact that I had recently lost ten pounds. I asked an associate if they had re-sized the line. She told me the sizes tend to vary depending on the clothes, that some styles run small and others big. Everything I tried on "ran a little small". I was frustrated by the experience, and hadn't been back to the store until today.
I went into the store hoping to find a bathing suit and perhaps some shorts and a cover up. I looked for shorts, but found nothing in my size, so I picked out a few bathing suits and shirts in a 3X and headed to the dressing room. The bathing suits were very tight and too short. The tops fit snugly, though they seemed designed to be flowy. I was livid. I wear a 2X in any and every plus size line I've ever tried, including Forever21's until 7 months ago. I understand that my body type is not considered ideal by societal standards. I understand that I am not by many standards a healthy human being. That doesn't mean that I should be encouraged to hate my body or that I should be shamed because I don't fit into a company's preordained aesthetic. As a result of my experiences at Christmas and today I will no longer be shopping at Forever21, even for accessories. Forever21 and other brands who refuse to accept realistic body types are promoting unhealthy body images and I strongly oppose such values.
I left Forever21 upset and without a bathing suit, so I tried Macy's, where I was unable to find anything in my size that was not hideous. I left the mall angry and not without a fair amount of self-loathing. After seeing Man of Steel tonight, Chris and I stopped at Wal-Mart to grab a few groceries. As we were headed to check out I spotted an adorable black bathing suit with white polka dots. I was excited to find it in my size. The fitting rooms were already closed, so I purchased it and tried it on at home. It is fabulous: it fits so well, it's flattering, and cute. Did I mention it was only $25? I guess there is a happy ending to this story after all.
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