#PlusSizePlease Begs Clothing Brands to Increase Size Options
There are very few things as frustrating as finding the perfect item of clothing—be it a dress, top, or jeans—and then discovering that the store or website doesn’t have it in your size. Even worse? Being told that the item doesn’t even come in your size at all.
It’s a situation that many plus size women, in particular, face all too often. But one media-savvy lady is on a mission to change that, with the help of a hashtag.
Sarah Chiwaya, a body positive activist who runs a fashion blog called Curvily, first used hashtag #PlusSizePlease a little over a year ago after spotting a skirt she loved by Tibi, which unfortunately didn’t come in her size. She told Buzzfeed, “I still loved the look of [the skirt], and snapped a pic for Instagram. When a follower asked if it came in plus, I responded ‘Sadly, no :( #plussizeplease.’”
The hashtag’s catchy quality inspired her to start a movement in which women snap photographs of clothing they covet that don’t extend into larger sizes. They then share the photos over social media, along with a mention of the brand and #PlusSizePlease.
Some brands have begun catching on. According to Chiwaya, both Hot Topic and Canadian line Encircled have fulfilled #PlusSizePlease’s requests for more size options. Other brands like Zara and Diane Von Furstenberg have also been contacted.
Chiwaya hopes to make brands realize that, when it comes to plus size fashion, one style doesn’t fit all. “One of the points I wanted to drive home with the hashtag is that the plus-size market is just as diverse as the straight size one,” she says. “We all have our own personal styles, and they vary widely.”
And while she understands that including plus sizes involves a lot more than just adding a few inches of fabric (there are fit models needed, as well as more specialized technical designers), Chiwaya says the profit would far outweigh the extra costs. She explains, “Apparel is a business. I don’t expect [companies] to add sizes out of the kindness of their hearts. I do want them to know it doesn’t make financial sense to ignore the majority of the market.”
If the hashtag continues catching on—there are currently nearly 1,200 posts on Instagram tagged #PlusSizePlease—they may not be able to ignore the demand much longer. Says Chiwaya, “#Plussizeplease works best when you use it and use it often.”
Here’s to a future of never leaving a store bummed out that that must-have mini wasn’t created to fit your body. Now go on and get hashtagging!
More from Yahoo Style:
Melissa McCarthy Says Malls Try to ‘Hide’ Plus Size Stores
Watch Plus Size Model Ashley Graham’s Moving Talk About Self Love & Body Acceptance
This Is the Reality of What You’d Earn Working as a Plus-Size Model
