Hullo fellow fats! Long time lurker, first time poster. One day I'll get up the nerves to do an OotD post, but for now I wanted to post about something that's very near and dear to me
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Okay, posted--and partly broke the comment limit, whoops! It posted, but you have to click "see more" to read it all. My post:
From a recent ad of yours: "If you're a Big Boy, or you think you're a Big Boy, or you're shopping for a Big Boy... or if you're a woman mistaken for a Big Boy, then you've landed on the right page!"
...um... not all female superhero fans, fat or not, look like men. I'm sure you didn't -mean- to imply that, but the wording is still insulting. Might I suggest "...or if you're a Big Girl", for example, instead?
It's hard enough for my Big Girl friends when they can't shop in the women's section at many stores; this ad, meant to encourage them to check out your selection of stuff in their size, instead pointedly reminds them that this store is one of far too many that only carries women's clothes in the sizes that women are "supposed" to be.
I was trying not to quote you directly, because that way it looks like I came across the ad on my own. ^^ It makes sense in my head.
I commented to your comment (as well as a wonderfully supportive friend of mine) and I just have to ask... did their repsons bother you as much as it did me?
What the FUCK. Wow. That's... yeah, I'm pretty damn bothered. Left a reply informing them that with an attitude like that, now I know not to bother spending any money on their site.
I think this is an absolutely okay thing to post myself. Evidently the mods thought so too or else I wouldn't have read it.
I don't blame you at all for feeling insulted. I'm feeling pretty insulted about that too, I have to say. I haven't been mistaken for a boy since I was 12, and even if I were, this isn't cool. It implies that once you go past a certain size you can forget about having femininity. Ouch.
that...is really weird. i don't think the company had any malicious intent behind what the bio says, but it's still kind of ignorant and worded horribly. i think what they were trying to say was women that have large, man-shaped bodies, but couldn't think of a "pleasant" way to say it. i don't understand why they didn't just say "women who like wearing men's t-shirts." it would have been a lot less offensive and confusing, and not risked offending larger women and those who identify as large women by saying that they MUST be constantly mistaken for "big boys."
i run across similar shit online all the time, where plus sizes for men are way extended, especially t-shirt sites, but women almost never get anything above an xl or xxl. it's bullshit.
As we like to say in several other communities I'm in, "Intent is not magical." I'm sure the company didn't mean to insult anyone, but they still did, and so gentle correction is perfectly acceptable.
right, i'm not saying that what was said isn't dumb and doesn't need correction...i guess i was just trying to rationalize why anyone would think it was even okay to write that, heh.
Some fat women have "large, man-shaped bodies," but not all do. With my broad shoulders, flat ass, slimmer hips, big tum and torso, I'm one of those women who could be construed as having a more "masculine" body shape. My boobs help give my body shape some appearance of femininity, depending on what I'm wearing. But sometimes they just contribute to the appearance of a "large torso."
If it was the company's intent to single out women with more "masculine" body shapes, that's pretty narrow minded of them. In addition, while some fat women might be fine with someone describing their body shape as "large, man-shaped," or assume their body shape is "more masculine," some of us aren't ok with it. I already have enough of an issue being seen as having a 'feminine' body shape by straight guys, so I don't appreciate being seen as having a potentially "man-shaped" body by a t-shirt retail company and told I need to buy a man's t-shirt to fit over my "big boy" body.
This reminds me of the time I wrote to American Apparel in either 2001 or '02 to ask when they were going to add women's plus sizes to their line and I received a response from some AA marketing dude who told me to "just buy their men's shirts." Yeah, it could be a solution if I liked wearing menswear shirts and wanted a more masculine/androgynous presentation, but that's not my personal style. I prefer a more femme presentation, so "just wear men's shirts" was not a solution for this femme fat gal.
I don't actually mid the cut of men's shirts to a certain extent. I actually like getting my geeky shirts a little larger than needed so that they can be a smidge baggy so I can just kind of derp around the house in them and feel comfortable as needed. (I do this with my browncoat shirt which is also more of a generic shirt than it is anything else.)
I do agree with you about the cut as a whole though. Guys shirt and I have problems if they're not on the looser end as I have a very generous chest. Not to mention I just like the style of certain shirts better.
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From a recent ad of yours: "If you're a Big Boy, or you think you're a Big Boy, or you're shopping for a Big Boy... or if you're a woman mistaken for a Big Boy, then you've landed on the right page!"
...um... not all female superhero fans, fat or not, look like men. I'm sure you didn't -mean- to imply that, but the wording is still insulting. Might I suggest "...or if you're a Big Girl", for example, instead?
It's hard enough for my Big Girl friends when they can't shop in the women's section at many stores; this ad, meant to encourage them to check out your selection of stuff in their size, instead pointedly reminds them that this store is one of far too many that only carries women's clothes in the sizes that women are "supposed" to be.
I was trying not to quote you directly, because that way it looks like I came across the ad on my own. ^^ It makes sense in my head.
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Because I'm pretty bothered right now.
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What the FUCK. Wow. That's... yeah, I'm pretty damn bothered. Left a reply informing them that with an attitude like that, now I know not to bother spending any money on their site.
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I don't blame you at all for feeling insulted. I'm feeling pretty insulted about that too, I have to say. I haven't been mistaken for a boy since I was 12, and even if I were, this isn't cool. It implies that once you go past a certain size you can forget about having femininity. Ouch.
Thanks for posting.
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i run across similar shit online all the time, where plus sizes for men are way extended, especially t-shirt sites, but women almost never get anything above an xl or xxl. it's bullshit.
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If it was the company's intent to single out women with more "masculine" body shapes, that's pretty narrow minded of them. In addition, while some fat women might be fine with someone describing their body shape as "large, man-shaped," or assume their body shape is "more masculine," some of us aren't ok with it. I already have enough of an issue being seen as having a 'feminine' body shape by straight guys, so I don't appreciate being seen as having a potentially "man-shaped" body by a t-shirt retail company and told I need to buy a man's t-shirt to fit over my "big boy" body.
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I do agree with you about the cut as a whole though. Guys shirt and I have problems if they're not on the looser end as I have a very generous chest. Not to mention I just like the style of certain shirts better.
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