# Plus sized clothing sends bad message to teens



## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Good fit, bad message: Teen plus sizes boost morale, but do they encourage obesity?

Quote:

While kids are happy with more fashionable options, some doctors and parents worry that while the plus-size clothes help self-esteem, they also could signal an acceptance of childhood obesity.

It used to be almost impossible to find plus-size clothes for kids. Sears and J.C. Penney Co. used to call them ''husky,'' offering basics such as jeans and plaid shirts.
OK, I wasn't sure of the proper forum for this, Activism? TAO? Health? Teens? The mods can move it if this isn't a good place for it.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Hey, Husky was only for boys... pretty plus was for girls.







:


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

pretty plus--never heard that one. :LOL My mom called them "half sizes" Oh, and I remember when I wore a 6X, which signalled the beginning of my fattitudity. I was part of the 7% listed in that article. Now all kids want to be fat, dammit! I guess it is for the cool clothes!

Seriously, though, I have a friend who only lost weight after he was able to buy nice clothes. He said that before he always thought he should lose weight first. The shame of not having anything to wear doesn't help you lose weight. From about 1976 to 1980, the timeframe listed in the article, I was wearing polyester pants that my parents made for me.


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## Marsupialmom (Sep 28, 2003)

Hey, 6X in girls does not mean fat. It is an inbetween size. My 6 yr old is in it. She is no were near fat (she doesn't even weight 45 lbs). She is just tall and slender. She weres 7 slim pants that hangs off her butt because she is skinny.

Anyways``````````

I think clothing manufactors have long missed the boat on sizing for children for a long time. They make for the mid-range but forget there are a lot of kids on either end of the spectrum.

I do not promote my children still staying skinny by having thier clothes altered to fit.


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## Towerkel (Apr 20, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amywillo*
The shame of not having anything to wear doesn't help you lose weight.

Exactly.

Give me a break.

Really.

You want to know what really sucked about being an overweight teenager? Not being able to _choose_ exactly the pair of pants you want because @ the size you are there are only 3 options and two of them are the same style. Racks and racks of shirts, and a rack of "plus" sized shirts with *A* shirt in your size.

Yeah, that showed me.


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## ~Megan~ (Nov 7, 2002)

Yea, so fat kids should get clothes that fit?

Gee, that's going to help them a lot. They can feel even more dorky because they have ugly clothes...that will make them want to eat less.


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## Plaid Leopard (Sep 26, 2003)

Good grief!

When are they gonna learn that fat does not automatically = lazy, unhealthy, unmotivated. And whether or not a person is "plus size" because of those reasons, they don't need to be further stigmatized by ugly clothes.

ugh.

And when are they gonna go after the stick thin, air-brushed, unrealistic images of models in magazines that encourage acceptance of anorexia?


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## Meiri (Aug 31, 2002)

I suppose they're supposed to just go naked???


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## Breathless Wonder (Jan 25, 2004)

No don't6 you know that the fat kids are supposed to wear those tent cut shirts in the same pattern as the table cloth on their kitchen table?

I will NEVER understand the use of shame as a motivating technique, for anything!


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## Arduinna (May 30, 2002)

Personally, I consider this idea abuse! And by this idea I mean that anyone over a certain weight/size ect should be restricted to certain kinds of clothing. It's just another example of how SICK our society is. Yes, shame and abuse are rampant against anyone that doesn't fit the US perception of perfect, beautiful and thin. I'm so disgusted I don't even know what else to say.


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## Arduinna (May 30, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Meiri*
I suppose they're supposed to just go naked???


oh no they better not be naked, all that fat will surely gross out all the "normal people". :BARF !


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## DebraBaker (Jan 9, 2002)

My DD (14) has a friend who is big. Always has been big (known one another since early elementary school.) This girl is extremely active, very into her sports. She's nice, intelligent, active but big.

She should feel pretty in her clothes as much as my size 2 (5'9") daughter for goodness' sake


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## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

Quote:

No don't6 you know that the fat kids are supposed to wear those tent cut shirts in the same pattern as the table cloth on their kitchen table?
Yeah, but I think they are also supposed to write the word "FATSO" in big red letters on the back.

These people should be forced to wear tent cut shirts that say "MORON" on them.


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## Colorful~Mama (Feb 20, 2003)

just nodding in agreement. My dd is 14.5 and wears womens sizes. We don't even shop the junior/teen/little miss departments. The stuff is too tiny, too hoochie and even if she did fit into the stuff, it would look horrible on her. And she's not "huge" or anything - she wears a womans 10/12 or a med/large depending on the cut or style. She's what.... 5'3" and about 120lbs.

sigh. i hate all of it tho. It bugs me that our society makes 'fat' so intolerable and puts so much shame onto our kids. It also bothers me that we as a society ARE so obese. We eat junk and we dont' excercise. and i can say this cuz i'm not thin. I'm fat and i know i could NOT be fat if i tried


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## Bippity (Sep 12, 2003)

...and teaching sex education encourages sexual promiscuity. Hmmm... sounds like a old, familiar theme to me... Our sick society at work again.

When will we ever get the message and learn to love more and fear less?







uke


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## Mamid (Nov 7, 2002)

I was humilliated when I was shopping with my grandma when I was a young teen. I was asked what size I was and I said "16" and the woman with me looked at me and brought me a size 10 saying it would fit me. She thought the 16 was kid's sizes since I was shopping in the adult women's section. Then she brought me a 12, then a 14 and finally a 16. AUGH. What was so difficult to understand that I was a size 16? I had to try them all on in order to prove to her that I was a 16 and not a 10 like she thought I was.

This was almost twenty years ago. I wasn't obese. I was 150lbs and 5'4" just a little "heavy" but not fat. I still had all my baby fat and it was doing the transition to women fat so I still didn't quite have my hips, but I definitely had my breasts.

All I can say is that its gotten worse over the years. My waist/hips are a size 18/20 and my chest is a 22. I walk out of size 22 pants even as pregnant as I am right now because they are too loose. It has gotten worse trying to find clothes. I won't even go into the war of the bra sizes I had the last time I went looking.


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## jadegirl553 (Mar 28, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amywillo*
the beginning of my fattitudity.

Wow! that's the best word ever! :LOL can I start using it? Is it a noun or a verb?

I totally agree with the PP's. Shame should not be used as a motivator- it'll lead to more problems, in the end. (pun not intended)
Plus, I think that looking better in ones' clothing will lead to better self esteem, which, if the weight issues are linked to that, will actually help the person with the weight problem, KWIM?
I say that, because my weight issues are somewhat linked to self esteem, or at least they were when I was younger, now they're linked to depression and having a baby.


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## LavenderMae (Sep 20, 2002)

I guess we really shouldn't promote a healthy self image in over weight kids. They should hate themselves and their bodies. I mean they are fat they don't deserve to feel good about them selves or dress nice.
Is that what this article is trying to say? There is a market for larger sizes therefore there needs to be larger sizes made. We don't need to punish children anymore for being overweight society does enough of that already!


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## kate42 (Feb 2, 2003)

Adults can buy plus sized clothes, why not younger adults?

Everyone deserves to have nice looking, great fitting clothes, no matter how old they are.


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

of course in today's standards anyone over a size ten is considered a plus size... sheesh.. i jus dont get how dumb one has to be to come out with this idea...

ppl drive me


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

T

Quote:

of course in today's standards anyone over a size ten is considered a plus size... sheesh.. i jus dont get how dumb one has to be to come out with this idea...
I was just discussing this at book club the other day. The average plus sized model is a size 12! The average american woman is a 12/14. Pitiful when you have to be thinner than average to be a plus-sized model. What is the message being sent? (rhetorical, lol)


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## sohj (Jan 14, 2003)

Oh, for a world in which EVERYONE gets to wear clothes that fit.










Clothing sizing has changed since I started buying adult clothes. Including shoes. Once upon a time, you could fairly easily get shoes in different widths. Same design, different widths. You know, if your feet were a different width than the next person.









Then, I noticed lots of people apparently wearing the wrong width.

Aside from the obvious PAIN that that person is going to have, shoes look terrible when you're bulging out of them, or the sole isn't wide enough for the foot that is in the shoe.

And, the more expensive the shoes (Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, etc.), the less likelihood that you're going to have any choice in the width.

In the "old" days, it was the other way around. My mother nearly exclusively bought one particular brand of (expensive) shoe because it's last fit her and it _came in different_ widths!

You know, it is _cheaper_ for manufacturers to reduce the number of sizes available. And make shoe soles narrower. Materials cost money. True for clothes of any kind.

So, they design something that needs the bare minimum of fabric, then market the heck out of it and guilt trip people into fitting into it.

Anyhow, this is off topic.

Yeah, stupid article. I HATE the idea of shame!


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## DebraBaker (Jan 9, 2002)

Shoes, that's another peeve.

I usually limit myself to birkenstocks and birkie clogs.

I hate women's shoes, too narrow. I wear mens' sneakers because, for some odd reason, mens' shoes are shaped like someone's foot (amazing!!)

db


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## Mamid (Nov 7, 2002)

Today's standards?
20 years ago, anything over a 10 was still +size. Although you could find tons of size 16 stuff.

Me? I haven't been able to find anything that fits me while pregnant. so I break out my sewing machine and fix things over and over again until they are threadbare. If I wanted to, I could make all my own clothing too.

But of course, its cheaper to buy prefab crap.


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## dynamicdoula (Jun 11, 2004)

When someone proves that all the skinny clothes encourage people to lose weight, I'll believe this [email protected]#%! lol


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## Mommy StormRaven (Jan 21, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DebraBaker*
My DD (14) has a friend who is big. Always has been big (known one another since early elementary school.) This girl is extremely active, very into her sports. She's nice, intelligent, active but big.

She should feel pretty in her clothes as much as my size 2 (5'9") daughter for goodness' sake

Yes, she should.

Then ther is the OTHER extreme. My best friend thru elementary and junior high school was BIG. In a family of thin to average sized people. she went to the OTHER extreme. betwwen grade 8 & 9 she went from weighing a good 160 @ 5'2" to less than 70 pounds.

it's insane. they say that designers shouldn't make clothes for fat kids (hel, I was a fat kid and now I'm a fat mom) but then they wonder why ther is a crisi of eating disorders!

Grrrrr


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## aniT (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sohj*
Oh, for a world in which EVERYONE gets to wear clothes that fit.










Clothing sizing has changed since I started buying adult clothes. Including shoes. Once upon a time, you could fairly easily get shoes in different widths. Same design, different widths. You know, if your feet were a different width than the next person.









Then, I noticed lots of people apparently wearing the wrong width.


Hi, My name is Tina, I am new to this board but I HAD to jump in and add my 2 cents about shoes. I have been TRYING without luck to find a pair of sandals for the past couple months. I cannot wear sneakers during the summer, I break out in a horrible heat rash. (or man made materials.) I have had this problem since I was a baby and I don't think I am going to outgrow it soon. For the last 2 summers I have just bought some cheapy Walmart sandals, but I wanted some REAL ones this year. Ones that weren't horribly ugly. I have tried 3 different stores, no one carries wides. When I try to put on the regular sizes, (even the ones with adjustable straps) I can't even get my foot into them. All's I want is a pair of sandals that fits. Give me that and I will be MORE than happy to keep wearing capri pants, and my husbands teeshirts. Because of course, plus size shirts are just wider not longer. And doesn't everyone over a size 10 want a shirt that is really really wide, yet only goes to their belly button?? Sorry, had to rant.

Oh, and about the cloths. I was shopping in the women's sections at age 14. I was 5'3" about 130 -140lbs and wore a 38 C. Of course I was constantly told how fat I was. (even by my parents. ) And then people wonder why many teens have low self esteem.


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## stayinghome (Jul 4, 2002)

They don't want to make plus size clothes available to teens but they continue to put soda and other kinds of vending machines in thier schools and serve them crap to eat for lunches on a daily basis???? Where's the logic in that?


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## darkpear (Jul 22, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DebraBaker*
I hate women's shoes, too narrow. I wear mens' sneakers because, for some odd reason, mens' shoes are shaped like someone's foot (amazing!!)

db


I wear almost exclusively men's clothes for similar reasons. The sizes make sense. I have a short inseam and long waist, never could find pants that fit right in the women's department - they're too long in the leg and ride up. The shorts are even worse, they're all waaaay too short and the pockets are tiny and useless. And of course they give me perma-wedgie just like the pants.

Why do women put up with uncomfortable clothing? Don't even get me started on high heels


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darkpear*
I wear almost exclusively men's clothes for similar reasons. The sizes make sense. I have a short inseam and long waist, never could find pants that fit right in the women's department - they're too long in the leg and ride up. The shorts are even worse, they're all waaaay too short and the pockets are tiny and useless. And of course they give me perma-wedgie just like the pants.

Why do women put up with uncomfortable clothing? Don't even get me started on high heels










I agree with you on the pants.. I wear mens pants and jeans.. The fit better, and I am NOT plus sized.. I'm 5ft 5in about 118 lbs.. BUT i have longer legs, and a fairly high waist.. Women's jeans are UNCOMFORTABLE!! I don't like to have my belly button covered when I wear pants.. ALL womens pants do this..

( I like high heels though)

Women of any size should be able to find clothes that fit them correctly, and look good.. Be they a size 0 or a size 42..

Warm Squishy Feelings..

Dyan


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## kimberlylibby (Dec 28, 2003)

Oh, and PROM?

Of course fat girls shouldn't get to go to prom! Heavens no!

I went with my exchange daughter from Hong Kong to look for prom dresses.... she desperately wanted me to try on dresses too.... she's a sz 2/4 and I was umm, 7 months pregnant and a sz 22









I found **3** sz 22 dresses appropriate for prom.

But this is better than when I went to prom, I suppose... I was a 16 then and ended up having to go to a bridal store because I couldn't find a dress that fit in the local mall.

Shame shame shame. Load em up with shame and there's no room for eating??

I don't get it.

Kimberly


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## Leonor (Dec 25, 2001)

I don't think shame is a good technique. Unhappy people don't take good care of themselves. Also was mentioned this paranoia with "standard looks", which I agree is bad.

My difference of opinion stands that I don't think it's right to eat too much.


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## feonixrizin (Jun 19, 2004)

I think that it's great that larger people can still find clothes that make them feel good about themselves. My friend complains that most of the plus sized clothes are created to make you look larger than you actually are. She has succumbed to wearing clothes that are too tight because she is not ashamed of her body.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Quote:

My friend complains that most of the plus sized clothes are created to make you look larger than you actually are.
And, traditionally, much older.


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## Mamid (Nov 7, 2002)

Definately older too.

I saw some really nice clothes at Walmart (yeah I know) yesterday that I would have bought if their +size department had the same...

They didn't. They had frumpy things. Frumpier than even the maternity, but at least with maternity, they are trying to have stuff that looks "nice" for women.

Gez. I don't want to look like I'm 50. I want to wear styles that 20-30somethings are wearing. Not tents.

I got into an argument at a "career college" years ago. The "dean" said what I was wearing wasn't appropriate for work. T-shirts and black pants. Scuse me for being low income and not being able to afford much. So I went and spent money on clothing I didn't really think was appropriate for me, but was told by the store owner at the + size store that it was all fine. Uh. Yeah. Sure. The Dean the next day hauled me into his office and gave me hell for wearing shirts again that didn't "cover my crotch" or that weren't tucked in. I swear the man had it in for me because I was the only goddess sized person in the entire school. I went without decent food for a week to buy this shit and it wasn't good enough?

FYI: I finally found shirts that were "long enough" to his standards in Seattle for 100$cdn per during a visit a couple of years later. But, if I know him, he would have fussed up about the design on the shirt.

And no, I hate wearing dresses. I end up chaffing.


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## KoalaMama (Jan 24, 2004)

Ugh.

Quote:

The number of overweight children nationally is rising. From 1976 to 1980, 7% of U.S. children ages 6-11 were obese. Two decades later, the number had increased to 15%, according to the American Obesity Association. The organization considers children obese if they are at the 95th percentile of Body Mass Index.
Um, but where's the stuff that shows how totally stupid BMI is anyway? And what about the fact that they keep changing the magic number so that the people who weren't "fat" yesterday are considered fat today?

This article takes a totally bizarre stance. I can't believe anyone would be ridiculous enough to suggest that allowing for more clothing options for "fat" people is going to make more people want to be fat. Yeah, sure.

I do think there are lots of issues facing overweight kids, and there's lots society could be doing (or not doing!) to help them. But making it so that they have nothing to wear shouldn't be one of them.


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## aniT (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:
_The number of overweight children nationally is rising. From 1976 to 1980, 7% of U.S. children ages 6-11 were obese. Two decades later, the number had increased to 15%, according to the American Obesity Association. The organization considers children obese if they are at the 95th percentile of Body Mass Index._

In the 70's and 80's children had PE every day in school. Now they are lucky to have PE twice a week. Reading is more important, and getting the highest score possible on the STAR tests. Recess has also been cut. So besides video games and TV at home, children are also spending less time being active at school. The school my oldest went to in Kindergarden was from 8:20 to 1:10. They had one 20 min brunch recess, and one 30 min. lunch/recess. So these children spent 5 hours each day reading reading reading, with only 2 breaks. Children need more active time in schools as well as home. They can't blame everything on the parents.

Oh yea, and selling cookies and chips in the cafateria helps a lot as well.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

I think PE is probably the *most* important class offered in elementary school (at least).


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## Mamid (Nov 7, 2002)

I remember pe every day in the 70's...

Then we moved to BC... we were lucky if we got it every other day. And it was never... as good as it was in Ontario.

And one teacher had a love for soccer. That's all we ever really did. I hated it, but became real good in goal. Even with my glasses for a target.


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## Lisa Lubner (Feb 27, 2004)

i remember shopping for my school clothes in highschool... we would go to the macy's juniors department... i was by NO means overweight (size 8 at the time)... but i was tallish and i blossomed a bit earlier (and more lol) than everyone else. i remember shopping there made me feel HORRIBLE. i would end up crying that nothing fit me. i remember thinking "LARGE!? large for WHO???" then i remember one issue of seventeen magazine... they were supposedly trying to be more realistic by showing models who looked like average teenagers, rather than having 100% waifs in their pages... turns out they just did a "plus sized" special, and you know what??? the models were beautiful and NORMAL. so what is with showing pictures of normal average sized (not overweight) girls and calling them "plus sized"??? for me it just reinforced the thought that no matter what, i would never be considered beautiful unless i wore a size 6.

i recently went by that same department in macy's (12ish years later), and the clothes they had were TINY. and SKANKY. i wouldn't take my daughter there if they were GIVING the clothes away.







:


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## khrisday (Mar 18, 2002)

Don't even get me started on this LOL
Plus sized clothes seem to almost all fal into two categories now- Junior Plus (which are made for the teeny bopper crowd, and cut way smaller than women's plus)
and Old Lady Ugly
Lane Bryant is the only plus sized store that offers a good selection of flattering, semi-fitted plus sized clothing IMHO
fortunately (or unfortunately) I have lost some weight and can no longer fit into the tops from Lane Bryant (even though I am well into their bottom sizes still) and am now in the hell of "between sizes" shirts.
I really wish someone would come up with a line of women's shirts made for women with large breasts. I don't want to wear a tent, but most thigns fitted do not fit my F cup chest.
Oh and I agree about the width of shoes, too. I have to special order extra wide shoes, now. There are some cute styles available, but not many. And they are expensive.


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## Ravin (Mar 19, 2002)

If you think it's hard to find wide shoes, try looking for narrow shoes! LONG SKINNY (especially in the heel) feet run in my family, and my mom used to break down and take us to Naturalizer just to get a proper fit because they actually carried shoes that fit.







:
And I've noticed that if you're size 9 or above you get half or less the variety in shoes as well.

It really is sad. My sister's best friend has a daughter who's overweight and has some serious body image issues. They also have a terrible time finding clothes for her, because she wants to dress like a teenager, not a frump, and she wears a 16 or 18, something like that.

Then I was telling my dad about how I lost weight and feel like a frump because my clothes are all too big and fit me like sacks, my jeans are loose, etc. So he has me try on some jeans that were sitting in his laundry room, prolly castoffs from his wife, who is rather petite.

They were size 9/10. Gee, thanks for making me feel fat again dad.


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## Mamid (Nov 7, 2002)

I'm 29 weeks preggo. Unless I'm willing to fork out $$$$ for clothes, there is nothing for me that either looks good, is comfortable to wear or even fits semi okay.

So I'm still doing the fix and repair and use until they fall off me clothing. If I didn't have my own sewing machine, I'd be sunk.

I sorta found a bra for me yesterday that was "cheap." A 42D. It "fits" and it will do for the rest of the summer, but it doesn't fit well. I end up with 4 breasts if I'm not carefull. But its a hell of a lot better than my mangey about to fall apart nursing bras!

See.. I'm a 38J. I'm serious. Does anyone make that size? Nope. So I have to improvise and suffer.

And I won't even go into nursing bra hell either... This one I got is a soft cup and I'll be able to nurse with it so I'm thinking about getting more. For 20$, I'll make a lot of compromises. For 100$, if it doesn't fit me like a glove, forget it.

And the miracle about it? I found it at Zellers!


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