Struggles with Body Image as a Plus Sized Woman- Gabriela Rodriguez

Struggles with Body Image as a Plus Sized Woman

If being a woman in today's society wasn’t hard enough, then try to picture yourself as a plus sized woman.With being plus sized comes a lot of struggles that can include: finding clothes that fit in stores and not

having to go online, feeling of judgment from people around you, mental health issues, and body image.

These struggles are only some that come with being a plus sized woman in today’s society, and it shows

time and time again that inclusion is the goal. So why does inclusion stop at being a plus sized woman?

There's a lot more than being the label of plus size for a woman, for she can be many things but it is

judged immediately on being who she is on the outside then who she is on the inside. Being a plus size

woman is not a trend, it is just a way of life for who they are as an individual. No matter whether they

are plus sized or not, a woman should be seen as a woman. 

What is the problem?

According to “Fat, Sexy, and Human? Perceptions of Plus-Size Sexualized Women and Dehumanization,”

media representations of women and girls are often highly sexualized and thin (Zurbriggen et al., 2007);

however, this standard may be shifting as women of varying body sizes are occupying the spotlight more

so now than in past decades. Increasing representations of plus-size women in media may be shifting the

ideal silhouette for women away from thinness, toward a curvier body type (Hunter et al., 2020) and may

lead to fewer negative body image issues in girls and women (Aniulis et al., 2021). Pushing representation

in all demographics is necessary with all body types and that pushes normalization towards women who

are considered plus size. Reported by “Sized Out: Women, Clothing Size, and Inequality,” because body

size carries strong moral and aesthetic meanings in American culture, clothing size standards may deeply

influence individuals’ self-perceptions. In her historical study of adolescent women’s body image,

Brumberg (1997) reported that many girls “regard [clothing] size, much like weight, as a definitive

element of their identity” and may reject clothing that fits simply because of the size label (129). Russ

(2008) similarly found that clothing size was a focal point in women’s body dissatisfactions, and Gruys

(2012) observed that many shoppers at a women’s plus-size clothing store hid their shopping bags when

leaving the store to hid the “discreditable” stigma (Goffman 1963) of larger body size. 

Ranked found that Nordstrom who says they are more inclusive in sizing are not when it comes to plus size

clothing. More than 50% of the clothing offered does not cater to plus size. 

Moving forward, “Sized Out: Women, Clothing Size, and Inequality” understands unequal access to clothes that fit appears to have implications for social inequality. Clothing is for the most part a mandatory aspect of social life, and a core way people communicate self-identity and group membership (Crane 2000; Davis 1922; Featherstone 1990). Plus-sized fashion retailers have been accused of designing clothes specifically to conceal the body (Colls 2004) and of offering limited and outdated style options (Adam 2001; Peters 2014). When a woman is trying to find clothes that do not cater to her size it brings a lot of emotions to one's self-esteem and takes a toll on a woman mentally. To add, the studies described above suggest that the clothing size system may impact women’s lives on multiple levels, including individual identity, social status, and bodily health. Additional research is needed to more fully understand how women engage with clothing size standards in their everyday lives, and with what consequences for inequality. 

What can be done to help?

Advertisements today are filled with models that are extremely, if not dangerously, thin. If people use

models in advertisements as reference points for evaluating the self, overexposure to thin models in

media may result in a skewed ideal of beauty and may negatively affect consumer’s physical and

psychological health, stated by “My ‘Fat Girl Complex’: a Preliminary Investigation of Sexual

Health and Body Image in Women of Size.” What is being put out into the world is observed by people

in the world. When you see more inclusion with people of different sizes it encourages people to be

comfortable in who they are and more open to who they are meant to be, rather than being judged right

away with how they look. Correlational studies show a significant association between exposure to

idealized body images in advertisements and eating disorders (Botta, 1999; Harrison & Cantor, 1997;

Stice, Schupak-Neuberg, Shaw, & Stein, 1994; Tiggermann & Pickering, 1996). Although a vast majority

of women do not develop eating disorders, overexposure to extremely thin, highly attractive models

may cause some to develop a negative body image (Thorton & Moore, 1993). Many women may have

experienced some degradation in their body image and self-esteem because of the warped mainstream

notions of beauty that are so popular today (Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 1997; Holmstrom,

2004). Being more open in the society we live in can give openness and awareness to those who have

ongoing struggles with body image and can focus on being themselves then trying to fit a social norm. 

How does this affect me? 

From a young age I was always put into the category of plus size and that took a toll on me mentally

growing up for I was put into a category at such a young age. I remember being in Elementary about to

enter into Jr. High School, and I noticed the shift in who is accepted where, solely based on looks and if

you did not fit those looks you were pushed aside. As I have grown into the woman I am today, I have

noticed a shift in inclusion of those who are bigger with having plus sized models in magazines and on

social media sites where they expressed that being plus sized does not define who they are. Seeing more

representation of these women is a beautiful thing, and though I did not see much of this growing up it is

nice to know we are headed in the right direction when it comes to some things. As a plus sized woman

I can say we still have a long way to go when it comes to inclusion of clothing and even normalizing

seeing confident plus sized women. I hope it does not take too long for more acceptance of plus size

women in society and we can move forward in making changes to the way people view us negatively

and move it towards a positive. 

Interviews with Plus Size Woman

Question Given: Do you think that there is inclusion with plus size women as a whole? 

Vivian Negirete

“I don’t think companies or brands are inclusive when it comes to us plus sized women. I can say for

myself I feel excluded when it comes to finding clothes in stores because I am pushed in the back of a

store or they just do not carry my sizes in stores. I hate being labeled as ‘plus-sized’ for I am just a person.

Loving myself was tough, but I do now. What is hard is getting people to see you for you when size is all

they can see in this society.”

Eliana Mendoza

 “No, I think people can be more inclusive because all I see is thinner models and maybe some mid-sized

body types, but never fully plus-sized models. Being plus sized is still not the ‘norm’. It can be exercised

more with women being pushed into looking one way and should include advertisements of different body

types to show more representation.”

Ashley Hernandez

“There is still a long way to go with inclusion of plus size women or being plus sized in general. I am

bigger than most but I bleed red just like you or any other person I see on a day to day basis. Why people

judge others is beyond me, for people need to understand who I am on the outside has nothing to do with

them and I do not need fixing to be ‘healthier’ or be put on a diet. Normalize people being who they are

meant to be, not who people want them to be.”

All these women and more understand what it is to not be accepted everyday by other people around

them, but that does not stop them from wanting change to happen where there is more inclusion in

everything they look at. Being a plus sized woman is so much more than a size or the label we are put

on, we are human just like you. 

References 

Biefeld, Sharla D., and Christia Spears Brown. “Fat, Sexy, and Human? Perceptions of Plus-Size

Sexualized Women and Dehumanization.” Body image 42 (2022): 84–97. Web. 

Bishop, Katelynn, Kjerstin Gruys, and Maddie Evans. “SIZED OUT: Women, Clothing Size, and Inequality.” Gender & society 32.2 (2018): 180–203. Web.

Satinsky, Sonya et al. “My ‘Fat Girl Complex’: a Preliminary Investigation of Sexual Health and Body Image in Women of Size.” Culture, health & sexuality 15.6 (2013): 710–725. Web.

Perrier, Angela. “Influence of Model Body Size on Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intention.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2008. Print.

Guest, Ella et al. “The Effectiveness of Interventions Aiming to Promote Positive Body Image in Adults: A Systematic Review.” Body image 30 (2019): 10–25. Web.

George-Parkin, Hilary. “68% Of American Women Wear a Size 14 or Above.” Racked, Racked, 5 June 2018, https://www.racked.com/2018/6/5/17380662/size-numbers-average-woman-plus-market.