You'll Never Buy Clothes in this Town Again!

I've decided that I have to lose weight this year. Not because I'm unhealthy, I walk a lot, I dance, I swim and keep fairly active. Not because I feel overweight, except for those hormonal days. And not because others think I'm overweight, not the important ones, anyway. The reason I think I need to lose weight is so I can buy clothes in Vancouver.

What is this all about, you ask yourself? Well, I happen to have committed the atrocity of being a size 13 in a city that considers a size range of 3-9 more than adequate in a typical, stylish, hip store. The "plus size" stores are too big, and usually pretty dumpy fashion-wise - I don't think I need to be dressing in a muumuu quite yet. I am not including high-end boutiques or stores because I have no idea what they sell because I can't afford to shop there. I am 5'7" and have never been a small framed individual (though I do remember buying size 5 clothes at one point, oh yeah, when I was 16!). Over the past several years I have been climbing the size scale at an impressive rate, despite the fact that my body hasn't changed THAT much (or so I like to tell myself). I have definitely put on some pounds, but not to the point that I shouldn't be able to buy clothing that fits anymore.

One of the really aggravating points is that many of the stores I browse in do get clothes up to a size 13, but they order so few of the big sizes that they disappear very quickly. So often I search through racks that have 20 of the same thing in sizes ranging from small to medium. If all the large sizes are disappearing fast, perhaps it makes sense to order more large? I certainly don't have a degree in marketing or anything but somehow buying enough of a supply to meet the demand seems appropriate. If there are 3 shirts left it would be acceptable to have a narrow size range but this usually isn't the case and this problem certainly isn't a one-time phenomenon. Another common source of frustration is the salesperson telling me to try one size larger than normal because this or that brand sizes really small. "Do you have a size 15, Honey? I didn't think so." If I happen to hit a store that has size 13 in a few different styles, I think I've won the lottery or something (and have been known to come out with 3 evening gowns because they were on sale and THEY FIT). It is ridiculous. It is bad enough being inundated by media images of tiny women, which I try to ignore so I don't go crazy (just don't get me started on Jennifer Lopez's slightly-round-but-not-even-remotely-fat ass), but the insecurities fostered by those images are seriously reinforced by a lack of large-sized cool clothes.

Several of my girlfriends have the same complaints, so I know that I am not the only size-challenged woman in Vancouver - in fact, they are probably the ones buying all the large sizes before I get there, the wenches. We often bitch about it when we are together which is probably kind of sad, but we need to support one another with the mantra, "I'm not that big!" I know whining about difficulty finding my size is pretty pathetic when there are so many people less fortunate and blah, blah, but I'm not pretending to be something I'm not here. I am lucky enough to have this kind of a shallow concern, I know, but that thought doesn't exactly console me. I just want to be able to walk into a store, see something I like, and find it in my size. Is this so much to ask? Apparently it is.