Plus Sizes
Why they get the cold shoulder
This episode is made in collaboration with the fabulous new show Weight For It. It is seriously such a good podcast. Shout out to the charismatic Ronald Young Jr. for sliding into my DMs and making this happen:
Seriously though. I’ve been wanting to do an episode about plus-sized clothing forever. It’s a fascinating world.
Plus-sized fashion seems to live in a separate trend cycle. There are different patterns, different cuts. And most notably, women’s shirts often have holes in their shoulders. This is the so-called cold shoulder:
This is a thing. The shoulders just get cut out of plus-sized clothes. At first I was like… is this because the shoulder is deemed an “acceptable” erogenous zone on a bigger body? No, dear reader. The answer is much weirder.
This separate plus-sized fashion universe reveals a lot about the way clothes are made and measured… and the way clothes dictate who is allowed to participate in public life. No matter what size you are, this story has a lot to tell us about about the way all sizes work.
(Although, to be clear, I personally harbor no ill will to the cold shoulder. I think they look great. In moderation. It’s just wild that there are SO many more cold shoulders in plus sizes than in straight sizes. )
Together with Ronald Young Jr. and Weight For It editor Sarah Dealy, we actually found some answers to some of these plus-sized mysteries. And maybe a few solutions.
Again, Muna And Broad is Leila’s company. Check. It. Out. Friend of the show Julie Eilber also recommended another plus-size pattern resource: Cashmerette. It’s shitty that so many plus sized people have to sew their own clothes to find something that looks cool and that fits. But if this is something you’d like to do, just know there’s a whole community. You don’t have to start from scratch.
If you have a story about weight you’d like to share with Weight For It, shoot them an email at weight@ohitsbigron.com
Also it should be noted that this episode features Marisa Meltzer, who just published THE book on Glossier. Get it.
Truly, it was an honor to be mixed, mastered, and scored by John Delore. He’s the best in the business. What a treat.
Other Articles Of Interest / Events!
Fashion Week! Behold the Birdman vibes at Fforme^^
New York- this week I’m talking about pockets(!) with Hannah Carlson (who was featured in the original pockets episode)- this Friday at 2pm at the New York Public Library. If you, I guess, do not have a job- come join us!
Also in New York: lucky Friday the 13th of October, I’ll be in conversation at the Architecture Film Festival. It has a killer lineup, by the way, and I’m excited that I’m finally going to see My Architect. But I’ll be having a chat on stage about Utopias (specifically Chandigarh!) with the one and only Diana Budds.
Boston, I’ll be giving a public lecture at Harvard (woah) October 10th. Needless to say this is a huge honor and I will attempt to live up to it.
Toronto, October 20th I’m doing a live show with designer Aurora James and Bata Shoe Museum Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack. That’s at Hot Docs. And hopefully, if all goes well, this should be the finale of the year.
Recommendation: I’m about halfway through this book about this history of the Beatles as told through their fashion and it’s extraordinary. Did you know that the Beatlers were sort of the official ambassadors of corduroy? And that they took their early black-turtleneck look from Sarte and the existentialists? And that George Harrison was one of the first public figures to bleach his jeans? I thought I knew everything there was to know about this band. I did not.
Rock on.
~Avery
Interesting and infuriating episode! Would have loved a more in-depth look into being *poor* and heavy. Vintage is a *privilege* and fancy stuff is a luxury most can’t afford. So it’s Old Navy sacks and Walmart garbage for you. And you’re so beat down to think that’s all you *deserve.* THAT’S also why other brands fail in plus size: the mind set of plus size customers who have grown accustomed to having no freaking choices. Thanks for taking on this topic. (Also- I REALLY hate the theme song. It’s a total downer on an upbeat show.)
Great episode! I searched for the Weight For It podcast right after listening to this one. As soon as I typed the word “weight”, my search results were filled with variations on the theme of “weight loss.” Weight loss was at the top of my search results. Weight For It showed up in the number two slot. Seems like an accurate reflection of our culture.
I was tall before I was fat, so I’ve never had an easy time buying clothes that fit. Even home sewing is challenging. Standard patterns come with markings showing where to add the length in my sleeves. But the pattern companies that I relied on for my skinny teenage self do not go up to my current size, so I’ve had to find others. I’m so glad to have the internet now. I don’t know how I’d shop without it.