Thursday, May 12, 2016

Inspiration is Hard to Find: Plus Size Ladies in Alternative Fashion


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I love alternative fashion, but there is one thing that I really do not love about it: the lack of space for plus size ladies.

Not, of course, that plus size ladies don't exist in these fashions. They are just extraordinarily hard to find and, furthermore, sometimes have rather rude comments aimed at them due to their size. This goes double for fashions that got their start in Japan because the average size of the fashion's originators (though not all of them - rock on, marshmallow girls!) is so much smaller than the average size of the ladies hereabouts.

I hate that.

I also hate that it's hard to find plus size inspiration floating around for Japanese fashion styles.

Especially when the fashions tend heavily toward the waifish silhouette, it can be very useful to have references for different body types. What's a curvy girl to do when mori girl is the desired style? It can be tough to tell when there isn't someone to look to. How do dolly kei looks work with a larger frame? It can be tough to tell.

This is doubly important if you're not comfortable with your own body in clothing. I have a dear friend who will not look at fashions on bodies like her own, and it's an absolute shame because her body is a good body because it is hers and because it is a body. I wish she looked at herself and others shaped like her and thought "Yes, I am wonderful."

While I am smaller than I was previously, it's still sometimes hard to get the inspiration I need on this front, so I'm collecting a few names of ladies who have inspired me. Maybe they'll inspire you, too.