by T. Lynn Wright

Created on: August 08, 2009   Last Updated: August 10, 2009

The media would have the average woman believe that it is normal to be a size 2, or even a size zero. The truth is, models work strenuously to be these sizes, to strut the runways and appear as perfect, cellulite-free specimens in glossy magazine pages. The average woman in the United States falls between a size 10 and a size 14. It's all about the scale. The dress looks elegantly draped and beautiful on the model in the catalog, so if a consumer orders it, it will drape just as elegantly on the 5'2" size 18 as it does on the tall size 2 model.

The truth is, there are clothes that look well on plus-sized women, and women would rather see a photo of how the dress can really look on someone who would actually wear it. Plus-sized women don't look in the mirror and magically see a tall, slender human being. Women are notoriously hypercritical of their own images, and the message that the only way these clothes can be worn is by a reed-slender young woman in her early twenties is no longer being subscribed to by women with money to spend.

There are millions of women who fall into the "plus-sized" category, and millions of them have happy relationships, families and careers. These are facts that should be portrayed in media, especially when it comes to clothing. Currently airing on television is a lingerie commercial that features a plump African-American woman in her thirties, looking happy and attractive in her kitchen wearing a robe, bra and panties. Another well-known company that used to sell only men's underwear now offers a young woman who proudly announces that she is a size 12, a plus-sized model, and she dresses deliberately to show off her "curves." These are the women that the plus-sized women deserve to have modeling their clothes. Designers and retailers would like to continue producing the message that to be happy, a woman must fit into those size-2 leggings.

Today's savvy women know that their lives don't center around numbers and dress sizes; they want realistic images and choices that appeal to a broader consumer base. It is time to stop wondering how plus-sized women can be disparaged and shamed into starving themselves for the sake of fashion. The fashions are available and plus-sized women with money want to see them on women, not waifs.

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