Being a full figured woman I usually get,
“Why don’t you work out”
First of all, you don’t know anything about my health and your opinion was not asked for but if you want to talk about working out, let do it!
Walking into a unisex gym is intimidating AF! It seems like everyone is at the gym is fit already. If I walk into Planet Fitness, Blink, etc what do I see? I see young fit women walking around in a sports bra and matching tights it is quite intimidating. I see fit men walking and here I am staring at myself in the mirror of the gym wearing something I would most likely wear to bed not in public.
I am wearing an over sized shirt (probably a comic tshirt) and sweatpants that don’t match. Athletic wear like Lululemon does not wish to make clothes for thick women, also they are extremely over price. The CEO blamed women with thick thighs for the poor material of the yoga pants that were causing them to rip.
“Frankly some women’s bodies just don’t actually work for [the pants],” he said. “It’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it.”
Why isn’t athletic wear made for everyone? Well here comes Nike!
“Nike recognises that women are stronger, bolder and more outspoken than ever. In today’s world, sport is no longer something that she does, it’s who she is. The days where we have to add ‘female’ before ‘athlete’ are over. She is an athlete, period. And having helped fuel this cultural shift, we celebrate these athletes’ diversity, from ethnicity to body shape.”
In late February Nike released a plus size women’s line that will range from XL to 3XL.
Why cannot I look good when I go to the gym? And bigger girls can be athletes too! Take for instance my big sister in my head, Serena Williams. She is a beautifully thick women but is also one the best athletes in the world. The average dress size of a woman in America is a size 16 so why isn’t more clothing brands selling to this market? Nike is not just being “kind” to full figured women, they are tapping into a market that has been alienated.
Shoutouts to Nike for:
1. Using models with different types of body shapes, not all full figured women have their weight distributed the same way.
2. Using models who are women of Color. Diversity is beautiful in hues and shapes
3. For using plus size influencers like Grace Victory and Danielle Vanier
Embracing our voluptuous bodies does your companies better than ignoring us.
Cultured Curvy Curls 