Shopping can be difficult for anyone to navigate, but fashion designer Kenyatta Jones makes the case that it's even harder for the plus-sized gals. "Fashion just forgot about us," she said while stopping by HuffPost Live today.
Jones, CEO of clothing line Bella Rene, is a self-proclaimed "fat" person and star of We TV's series "House of Curves." She's pinned down the inherent problem that larger women face when buying clothes: Plus-sized items are seldom available in-store, which leaves these ladies to fend for themselves in the online shopping world. Jones explains how this can lead to problems:
"At the end of the day, each designer designs in a different way. So if you're stuck only shopping online, nine times out of 10 you're going to get something that doesn't fit ... Fit is very important for a fashion designer for us, but if you're ordering it online as opposed to trying it on in-store, you're just going to end up sending it back and then you have nothing."
What's more, says Jones, is that the fashion industry seems to operate under the misconception that "fat" people are lazy, uneducated and not in the market for style. "'They don't need clothes, all they do is eat Twinkies,'" Jones says, illustrating the mindset. For the record, she says, she's never even had a Twinkie.
Of course, Jones joins an ever-growing list of plus-sized warriors in the fight for accessible fashion. Gabi Fresh, a body diversity blogger, recently collaborated with Swimsuits For All to create a line of so-called "fatkinis," bikinis for curvy women. Within the industry, top models like Crystal Renn and Robyn Lawley have spoken out about their respective journeys to becoming plus-sized models in a seemingly thin-obsessed world. Renn has even championed larger sample sizes.
Perhaps the first step designers should take is ensuring that larger sizes for the most basic clothing items are available in stores. Watch Jones discussing the issue in the clip above -- or see the full segment on HuffPost Live -- and tell us what you think!
Some of our favorite plus-sized gals:
