When will they see us!

Firstly, let me pledge my allegiance to the sisterhood of curves – I am a beautiful plus size women with thick thighs (I am learning to love my thighs in 2020)....Sisters, we are in a safe place to share.

I’ve got a gripe! It's something that grinds my gears and just pi$$es me off! I know this throws me out of the social narrative of starting the new year being positive but my hope is, by sharing my discontentment then it might make things better for all of us – Curvy, Plus size , Shape+ or any other acronym that we come under.

My gripe is a very simple one – the absolute lack of plus size clothing that isn't available to buy on the high street. Now, I don’t mean online (I have another issue with that but let’s keep to one theme), I mean physically on the high street.  Humour me for a moment, imagine you were going out tonight and it was too late for your same day delivery on ASOS (get to know, if you don’t know) and you need something to wear, how many of you would feel confident that you could get something on the high street in your size and that looks half decent, I wouldn’t! and for one main reason – Plus size sections do not exist in stores and if they do then it’s an absolute joke. 

The small corner that’s upstairs, way at the back of the store, in the dark corner that's filled with shapeless, what size?, poor fitting clothes. My 'Curvy Chique' sisters, please tell me where’s the lie? Don’t worry I’ll wait…. However, let’s not beat the retailers that actually do have a curve section in store. But let’s have a moment of silence for those retailers that have no or have even stopped stocking a curve section in store....Booo!! 

I recently went into H&M in Romford, keen to commence my Boxing Day sale shopping. Unfortunately, I was informed they no longer have a Plus section (Insert confused face here). Let me drop some quick facts real quick, you’d have to be living under a Brexit rock if you can’t see the struggle is real for high street shops. High street shops are closing down with Retail Analysts all previously pointing at the high streets failure adapt, which results in store closures. In 2017, the plus size market was worth £6.4 billion with £4.7 billion just on female clothing. The plus size market place is continuing to grow with influencers, dedicated retailers, bloggers, models walking catwalks (we need more) which equates to more likes than ever before. 

We have all become a human hastag made up of #BodyConfidence #BodyPositives and #AnythingElseYouLike. It would seem that never before, has it been better to be a plus size women, right? Wrong, because whilst all of this is happening, I still can’t freaking buy a size 22 skirt off the rack without it making me looking like I'm wearing a tent! Now, you may say there are some shop that do have a curve range and I won’t disagree, but why can’t most places have one? Especially, those that have a curve range online. Am I not good enough to be seen in their stores or maybe my money is made differently (please can someone alert ASOS, Spotify, Netflicks and the government)? I know the world is changing but there is still something I enjoy about going in store and making a physical purchase.

Retailers want our cash online but don’t seem to want our business IRL (In Real Life). You see the secret people, plus size women we exist – We are everywhere! Freed from the dark dingy corners of the back of the store (at lease in my head we are) we’re working, we’re raising kids, we’re living and loving, having good sex and bad sex sometimes, however we reserve the right to have bad sex on Tuesdays only!! We are women emerging from the shadowy places that society has put us, but let me make this clear – We’re here and we ain’t going nowhere, regardless if you see us or not...

Love queens and may 2020 be glorious,

With love Kels x