Hi, I read your FAQ a while back and since then have stopped saying "overweight" thanx. Soon I am giving a class presentation on how retailers should include "plus-sizes" in their standard-sized lines. I dont know what to call ___ people without sounding rude, thin-privileged or un-PC. I doubt my audience will feel comfortable with me saying "fat," especially since I'm not. I also dont want to overuse "plus-size," because what apparel thinks is plus is actually average. What term is best IYO?

Asked by

plutopius

I still think “fat” is best when referring to fat people in a general sense (activism, as a group when referring to discrimination and attitudes against fat people), but I can see how a clothing line might be set up better along a spectrum, with different wording.

Here are a few ideas:

1. “Minus Sizes” - “Average Sizes” - “Plus Sizes”

Kind of like our current system, except everything turns on the general average size. For instance, if the average size of a woman in the US is a 14, then 14 would be 0. 12 would be -1. 16 would be +1. Like this:

-8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (new)

00 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 (current)

Such a system would also have the effect of making folks realize that 00 - 4 aren’t any more ‘normal’ kinds of sizes than 24 - 30.

2. You could suggest a system kind of like clothing for men, going by measurements and not labeling the sizes with the intent of separating them into sections in stores. Fashion Bug did this for a little while, before they were bought out. eShakti doesn’t have physical stores, but they offer 0 - 36W at the same price — what they call their ‘standard sizes’ — and then offer custom sizes as well, that conform to whatever measurements you give them (which I usually do, since I’m six feet tall and pear-shaped).

Just throwing a couple of things out there. Perhaps my more fashion-and-clothing interested followers might have a few ideas of their own, too.

-ArteToLife