Urging the Acceptance of Plus Size Fashion Essay -- Health Weight Body

Throughout the centuries, history finds women doing whatever they can to fit into the current cookie cutter mold of popular, accepted society. From the whale bone corsets of the late 1800s to the psychedelic style of hippies in the 1960s and 1970s, one major trend that followed these fashions through the ages is weight. For the past fifty years or so, since the dawn of models like Twiggy and Verushka von Lehndorff, the world turned away from the â€Å"plus size† and opened its arms only to the phenomenon of thin. But what did society think of plus sized fashion in a time when thin was unaccepted? A web article from articalesbase.com sheds some light on the subject: â€Å"In the past, a big beautiful body was associated with health and wealth. As a matter of fact, up until the 1960’s, BBW and plus size women were lauded for their beautiful physiques. The plus size woman appeared in almost all of the fashion photographs, films, and paintings of the 1920’s-1950’s† (Brown). According to dictionary.com, plus size means â€Å"an extra-large size category of clothing, esp. for women.† (plus). However, recent years have shown a push towards plus size, and even â€Å"real† size fashion. This can especially be seen in the banning of very skinny models from Madrid Fashion shows, and the more liberal Full Figured Fashion Week. While the acceptance of plus size fashion continues to increase, it still does not completely conform to the wants and needs of its wearers. Full figured, curvy, big-boned - any woman who describes herself with these terms automatically finds her self categorized into the â€Å"plus size† by retailers and manufacturers. Today, plus size generally encompasses sizes 14W to 30W, however some retailers consider sizes as low as a... ...odel-ordinary-women-No-Miss-England-finalist-fat-lazy-poster-girl-ill-health.html>. Lacey, LB. "What Size Is the "Average" Woman?" Full & Fabulous Inc. - A State of Mind, Not a Dress Size! Web. 28 Nov. 2010. articles_view.asp?articleid=17064>. Morton, Camilla. "Show Report - John Galliano Spring/Summer 2006." Www.vogue.co.uk. Vogue Magazine, 8 Oct. 2005. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/show.aspx/id,2862#. The Phit. Digital image. Missphit.com. Missphit. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. "plus size." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 26 Nov. 2010. . Postrel, Virginia. "The Real Reason That Ann Taylor Hates Plus Sizes." Blog | Double X. 9 June 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. http://www.doublex.com/section/life/real-reason-ann-taylor-hates-plus-sizes?page=4,0.