Why does plus size shopping have to be so hard? I’m a man, but tried to do some online shopping for my wife. I discovered that online shopping is a nightmare if your a woman. A size 26 is a size 2X on one site, but a 1X on the next.. Should I just get the larger size and know that she can at least wear it, or should I go for the size that is “supposed” to fit?… Or should I just scrap the Cubs jersey idea and go with a bouquet of flowers instead?

67% of Women in America are Size 14 or Larger — Yet, They Only Make up 18% of the 17.5 BILLION women’s retail market.

With my wife’s birthday quickly approaching and a planned trip to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs play, I thought a Kris Bryant jersey would be just perfect, considering he is her favorite player. Oh, I have heard her subtle hints about how she would just love one.. Not being one to spill the beans, I tried to venture out into the online world and just pick up a size 26 jersey.. Easy as that, right? Not exactly… I soon found out that they don’t list women’s baseball jerseys as a 26.. It’s either a 1X, 2X, 3X, etc…

So, I had to put on my research hat and do some investigative work about women’s plus sizing…

Plus Size Shopping Shouldn’t Be That Hard!

Retail Sportswear Doesn’t Target Women as the Should!

With 2/3 of the women in the country being considered “Plus Size” there should be an vast supply of jerseys to serve all of the women who happen to love sports.. Right? Wrong… 90% of the stores I shopped at only carried jerseys up to an XL. IF they did carry a 1X-4X they were all blank Cub’s jerseys and not one with Kris Bryant’s name and number.

I went from store to store.. Amazon? I entered “Plus Size Kris Bryant Jersey” Couldn’t find one.. I went to MLB.Com and none were available above an XL.. To make a long story short, my search for this elusive jersey of a very popular player came up empty.

Why the Discrepancy on Sizing Charts?

Here is my next question? I had to look at the sizing charts to decipher what size 26 equaled in the 1X-4X spectrum.. I saw bust measurements, hip sizing charts, and frankly charts that I just didn’t understand. My hats of to you ladies with curves for attempting to find apparel online.

There is No Standard for Sizing — This Makes No Sense to Me!

My research led me to the discovery that there in no universal size charts for women. So, unless you have a tape measure ready, your playing shopping roulette so it seems.

In Conclusion

I bought my wife Chicago Cub tickets and romantic dinner.. I will get that Kris Bryant jersey one day… but after feeling defeated I hung my head and turned away.. To all of you ladies, I salute you! However, I feel that days of plus size shopping online are over!