The Fat Lady Shops

(**N.B.** I am a wee bit hesitant to write this post, for three main reasons. First, after again realizing the number of people who read (i.e. Lurk at ;-)) this blog, I am again made cognizant of the fact that I am not the only person effected by what I write here. Thus, I am a little hestitant to refer to myself as 'fat,' for fear of backlash in my real life. However, regardless of lurkers, I write this blog for me and about my experience, and I defintely experience myself as 'fat.' And, well, if that word offends others, so be it. Secondly, due to reasons already mentioned, I fear this post may seem like a bid for pity, as tho I just feel sorry for myself and want other people to feel sorry for me, too. Well, I suppose that might be true, but I'm not so sure. Again, this blog is for me, written to help me as I experience life. Yes, this particular post may be pitiable, but I don't write to be pitied. Finally, well, let's face it, it's pretty darn embarassing to write about this. I Hate being fat, as everyone already knows ;-), and calling people's attention to this fact is not usually my aim. But this was my life today. And it was embarassing, and hard, and funny, and thus, I'm going to write it down, because I need to.
And, wow, I hope that didn't sound really deffensive.)

Apparently, fat people do not wear dresses. (Let me re-phrase that. Fat women do not wear dresses. Fat men can not wear dresses all they like.) Today's mission was cute sundress/attractive spring attire for upcoming showers, weddings, and Easter. Except, they don't make dresses for fat ladies. Now, I ask you, who thought up this brilliant idea?? Why can fat ladies not where dresses?? Believe me, I realize there are some things that fat people Should Not Wear. For example, tops showing any kind of belly. Or skirts too far above the knee. Both of these reveal excessive amounts of Fat Roll, and who on earth wants to see that? However, I do not see how dresses fall into this catagory. Dresses almost inherently do not reveal belly, and can be made appropriately long. So why does the regular-lady department have racks and racks of dresses in pretty spring colors, whereas you're lucky if the fat-lady department has even two. It's descrimination, I tell you!
Needless to say, today's search was not-so-successful. I arrived at Robinson's-May and made the embarassing trudge towards the escalator, because the Women's department is tucked away upstairs between Kids and Housewares, I guess so everyone can momentarily forget that fat people need to be clothed, too. (However, I'd think we'd all notice, and not in a good way, if they stopped making fat-people clothes! ;-)) By the way, why do they call it the 'Women's' department?? Admittedly, it's rather preferrable to 'Missy', the name of the normal-sized clothing department. It makes it sound like normal-sized people are slightly androgynous adolescents, and only when you become fat do you become fully in touch with your femininity. Anyway, there I was, but not for long, because there were, like three racks of dresses, and two were displays of the Old Matron Horror, which, clearly, I refuse to wear. (And who thinks it's a good idea to dress fat old women like that, either? I know Fat Old Women aren't exactly anyone's dream to design for, but have some compassion!) At least here there was something, because at Macy's there were no dresses at all. Again, equal rights for Women's!
I did finally find something, but my mother would not be pleased with it, and I'm not entirely, either. A bit too much cleavage, if you know what I mean, espescially for Easter Sunday. Plus, it's so much white fabric that I feel rather Moby Dick-esque, lumbering about like a whale out of water. (Lot's of blubber, too. ;-)) Anyway, we shall see. Come Easter, I must be wearing something, so hopefully I'll find something nice between now and then.
In the mean time, maybe us Plus-Size Girls should start picketing.