geekchick | (no subject)

On Salon today:

"Clothing company Torrid makes cool clothes for overweight teens. Its bodacious bras and extra-large camisoles help salvage fat kids' self-esteem. But do they also encourage obesity?" (You'll need a premium membership or a day pass.)

Do they take advantage of it? Of course they do, that's their business model; there's a market for their product, and they're making good money selling to it. Do they encourage it? Eh, not so sure about that. If you're going to blame any retail establishments for "encouraging obesity", you should instead start with fast food restaurants who try to sell you on the idea that a breakfast sandwich with 730 calories and 47 grams of fat is a good idea, especially for people whose most strenuous exercise of the day consists of climbing up into the driver's seat of their H2, or perhaps vigorously typing out an email.

I was a fat chick decades before Torrid came along, and trust me that overweight teenagers (regardless of their actual level of health and fitness) get more than enough crap as it is without also being forced to shop for unflattering and unattractive clothes on the two racks in the back of the store where plus-sized clothing is hidden while their friends run wild through Wet Seal. Piling on yet more reasons to make them feel bad about themselves is not going to help anything at all.

I feel a longer rant about this brewing, but I'm sticking it on my "to do" list for now.

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geekchick, whatever she weights...

Thanks, although this wasn't some indication I wasn't feeling okay with myself at the moment.

Although if I'm going to be completely honest, the many times you would fixate on the idea of finally dating someone who weighed less than you didn't do wonders for the self-esteem. I do note that you haven't done that recently though, which helps a bit.

Well, isn't that just viciously self-righteous of Salon. Fuckers.

If Torrid had existed when I was in high school, I might have grown up with some femme tendencies, rather than being the baggy-shirts-and-jeans butch I am now.

If it had been around when I was a teen (although it wasn't as big an issue for me as I had to wear uniforms through all of elementary and high school), I might've learned earlier what clothes that actually fit feel like. The one store devoted to plus-sized clothes that I was aware of was "Catherine's Stout Shoppe"; even without the horrendous name, the clothes totally leaned towards the double-knit and muumuu variety. I'd squeeze myself instead into the largest sizes I could find from the stores my thin friends shopped at; the first time I wore a pair of pants that actually fit me correctly, it took a while for me to stop thinking they were too big.

I think teenagers are even more likely than other demographics to be overeating as a response to depression and low self-esteem.

So obviously, lowering their self-esteem even more will help "combat obesity".

So obviously, lowering their self-esteem even more will help "combat obesity".

Exactly.

I enjoyed reading the article, if only because I had no idea what Torrid was or that it even existed. I haven't had to shop in plus-sized stores in a few years -- though, if I don't lay off the chocolate... -- but I do know that it is impossible to encourage people to lose weight by shaming them through their having to wear polyester gunny sacks.

I really like Torrid (although I admit I liked it even better when it had more of the gothy-type stuff I prefer to stretch denim capris and pastels) and wish there had been something similar when I was a teenager. Like I said to

elynne, I might've had some idea of what clothes that actually fit correctly feel like years before I did. IMO, if you are healthy and happy at a higher weight, there's absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to wear clothes that make you feel good. If you feel like you do want to lose weight, I've found it's much easier to get and stay motivated if you don't start out from a place where you're feeling really bad about yourself; depression isn't a particularly good motivator.

I do know that it is impossible to encourage people to lose weight by shaming them through their having to wear polyester gunny sacks

If that trick actually worked, there wouldn't have been such a market for Torrid in the first place.

I figure if a teen loses weight and can't go to Torrid anymore, s/he'll just go to Hot Topic, so either way the parent co. makes dough.

*nod* Like it says in the article, Torrid was started because there was a demand for clothes that were "like Hot Topic, but larger". If you like their clothes, you'll more than likely move over to Hot Topic once you fall into their size range. I think the reason they're doing so well is because for years and years there were no similar options for heavier teenagers, so there's pent-up demand. IMO, the idea that Torrid's clothing "encourages obesity" is silly; if being forced to wear ugly or ill-fitting clothes was all it took to get teenage girls to lose weight, there'd never have been such a market for Torrid in the first place. If you're reasonably healthy and happy at a higher weight, then you should absolutely be able to feel good about your clothes and how they look on you; if you do feel like you want to lose some weight, it's very hard to get started or stay motivated when you're mired in depression about how you think you look.