Fatshion! Part 1 (i.e., Turn to the left.)

We’d planned on having a fairly directed conversation about where plus sizes begin, and why fatshion is political. But somewhere along the line it turned into Marianne and I discussing the Lane Bryant lingerie ad, and then both of us unleashing our still-smoldering rage on the subject of Old Navy pulling plus sizes out of their stores (it’s not that their clothes are so great, y’all — it’s the PRINCIPLE).

Hence, this is part one of another two-parter. Part two will be released in the middle of next week.

Perfectionist note: I am still working on getting a better sound quality given the limitations of Skype, and truth be told I’m still not thrilled with the sound on this recording or the subsequent one. I think I may have found a way to improve it, so fingers crossed that the next will be amazing….er.

Links mentioned in this episode:

The Fatshionista Livejournal community

eShakti

The “banned” Lane Bryant lingerie commercial

Tom Jones “Sex Bomb” music video

We are purposely not linking to Old Navy.

The music heard in this episode was by Revolution Void.

11 Responses to “Fatshion! Part 1 (i.e., Turn to the left.)”

  1. Zee Says:

    Thank you guys so much. I’m in the upper-mid-plus range…I just made that up.
    But anyway, it was great to hear all of this. Shopping has always been so traumatic, but now that I’m in my late teens, it’s more humiliating than annoying, as my weight goes up and down.
    So it was nice to hear that
    “Yes, this is ridiculous; yes it’s annoying; yes it’s humiliating; and NO it’s not right. And NO you’re not lucky that they go ALLLLL the way up to your size.” Anyway, you guys (and several other fat activists) are my heros.
    <3

  2. Scott Says:

    My contribution:

    http://i42.tinypic.com/op055c.png

    (Hope HTML is allowed in comments.)

  3. car Says:

    I love the podcasts! One question that might be my download, but I’m not sure – Lesley sounds entirely clear, but Marianne sounds digitally skewed – that warbly staticky kind of thing. Not a complaint, just wanted to point it out if it’s some setting that just needs tweaked.

  4. Two whole cakes « Hälsa är mer än en siffra Says:

    […] Whole Cakes FatCast handlar den här veckan om precis det jag skrev om igÃ¥r! Finns tillgängligt här, men följande var det jag gillade […]

  5. It’s nice to share | definatalie.com Says:

    […] Fatcast Episode 4: Fatshion! Part 1 (i.e., Turn to the left.) Lesley and Marianne talk about fatshion being political, a topic I’m all over. When I put on clothes, I don’t just put on clothes, there’s a story behind what I wear because I don’t have easy access to fashion and because I am invested in my visibility. I recommend listening to this episode of Fatcast because it touches on so many things that I think about, not just academically, but in my everyday life. Tags: ableism Art Fashion fatshion feminism fertility funny music self promotion blog comments powered by Disqus var disqus_url = 'http://www.definatalie.com/2010/05/16/its-nice-to-share-4/ '; var disqus_container_id = 'disqus_thread'; var facebookXdReceiverPath = 'http://www.definatalie.com/wp-content/plugins/disqus-comment-system/xd_receiver.htm&#39;; var DsqLocal = { 'trackbacks': [ ], 'trackback_url': 'http://www.definatalie.com/2010/05/16/its-nice-to-share-4/trackback/&#39; }; (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = "http://definataliecom.disqus.com/disqus.js?v=2.0&slug=it8217s_nice_to_share_91&pname=wordpress&pver=2.33&quot;; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Welcome to fancyland […]

  6. Deb Says:

    Just to clarify…

    Lane Bryant was bought from The Limited by Charming Shoppes who also owns Catherine’s (which Glenn’s mom calls “Fat Cathy’s”) & Fashion Bug. Having shopped at LB for 8,000 years I found that they’ve only once in a while been on trend. It’s bizarre and frustrating. I would love to be a fly on the wall in the design meetings…. maybe we should do some kind of theatrical reenactment!

    xox,
    Deb Re/Dress

  7. Cary Says:

    Thank you so much for this fatcast. I can relate to everything you both are saying and in fact have been thinking that you took the words right out of my mouth. I too went thru an all black goth phase – partly cause it was easier to find clothes in black and i’d rather wear black than pastel garbage. And I didn’t even know Old Navy sold plus size clothes till I heard people complaining about how ON was gonna stop selling plus sizes. I was floored and I haven’t shopped their plus size clothes online for the same reason – I’m pissed off about it….anyhow, can’t wait to hear part 2.

  8. living400lbs Says:

    I loved the bit about “what if the airline loses your suitcase?” Before I went to Disney World I googled stores in the area and confirmed there was an LB and a Casual Male nearby. LB usually doesn’t have pants to fit me but it does have panties and bras that I can wear, and Casual Male always has drawstring shorts and t-shirts that would work for Disney.

    And yes, I know Disney sells clothing EVERYWHERE on the property. I also don’t assume they’d FIT me.

  9. Ankaret Says:

    I loved listening to this – I actually punched the air and startled my cat when you talked about the ridiculous privilege of the ‘oh, just buy straight sizes and they will stretch’ talk. I also really loved the ‘what happens when you try to buy a denim shirtdress’ segment and the part about what to say when friends insist on visiting shops that don’t do plus sizes.

    I had a couple of issues with the sound – I’m listening on the web, and it seemed to get quieter as the podcast went along. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment, though.

  10. TLM Says:

    Just an aside about H&M. Here in Norway H&M does have a fat clothing line called BIB (Big is beautiful) They go up to a size 56 (which sometimes run small) The clothes are mostly horrible, but the sweat/yoga pants are great. The matching top stretches out after one washing, as do most H&M tops (beyond poor quality) The Jeans and pants are alright in a pinch. So to come to the point, you aren’t missing anything at H&M. I only shop there for spandex camisoles and sweat pants, it’s nice to know they are there.. Actually most of the chain stores here (H&M Lindex, Kapp Ahl) have fat departments, but the clothes are mostly hideous.

  11. On Shopping and Shaping a Wardrobe « Fat Heffalump Says:

    […] early Two Whole Cakes fatcasts, the phenomena of fat women buying clothes that are in their size simply because they fit, and are affordable, and then hanging on to them forever because they might never find them […]

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