Is the United States Going to Be Left Behind In The Plus-Size Revolution?

I was just looking at the new collection of clothing by Chaka Kahn at Evans. While I like the clothes the question came to my mind “Why did Beth Ditto and Chaka Khan two international plus-size divas decide to partner with an across the water store instead of inking the same deal with a store in the United States?”  The first thing entering my mind was size discrimination on the part of the buyers.

Part of this suspicion was confirmed after reading about a model quitting the business after size discrimination on the Internet on Mia Amber’s blog.   Going deeper into the culture I call my home tolerance and acceptance are given lip service in the American culture, but the one area in which these attributes are simply thrown out the window is in the area of size.  While the rest of the world bans unhealthy runway models, launches plus-size clothing lines, and embraces people of size the United States spends billions of dollars on studies to tell people they are fat.  No wonder Chaka and Beth entered into the fashion arena overseas.

Living as a fat black man in the Southern part of the United States and witnessing blog and website comments stating the candidate for the Surgeon General is to fat to perform the job duties or if your too fat you should pay double for health-care and other crazy notions it makes me ask another question “Is the United States Going to Be Left Behind In the Plus-Size Revolution?”

The reason I refer to it as a revolution is the fight larger individuals have waged for decades just to be treated like any other person.  While critics like Meme Roth and Karl Lagerfeld add fuel to the flames making it hard for US plus-size fashion designers to make it there have been some shining stars like Monif C. Plus Sizes and Gayla Bentley showing great fashions can be produced on this side of the water.

Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with what Evans is doing.  As a business man I say if they recognized the potential and took advantage of it then kudos to them but I also have to wonder why deals like this could not happen at a US based plus-size clothing store?  If the purpose of being is business is to give the customers what they want why are there not more stores like Ashely Stewart taking advantage of the celebrity angle to promote plus-size fashion on their websites?

To answer my own question I think The US will be left behind in regard to the growing plus-size movement.  There will be many strides made but overall I think we will miss the boat.  I could go on and on about some of the problems with the plus-size industry in the United States but that is not the point of this post.  The point was to show the underlying issue in this country of sizism and the affect it has on the appearance of choices made by plus-size celebrities in who they conduct business with.  What do you think?  Do you think more should be done in this country to be more tolerance and acceptance in regards to people of size and fashion for the same group?