Ben Barry wrote in Elle Canada about the findings from his PhD. studies, Can using different types of models benefit brands? When I read this yesterday I was going to write about it but decided to re-read the article and give my opinion in total support of what he wrote.

Immediately I thought of conversations over the years with ladies of all ages, sizes, and races about the fashion industry and the size models they use to sell different brands.  Even thought most were said in a joking manner the conclusion was “Why would I buy that dress when I have no idea how it would look on me and they probably don’t have my size anyway.” The study backed up this water cooler talk in a major way.

Barry did an excellent job of confirming this with hardcore data collected from women in the United States and Canada.  The study included more than 2,500 women ranging from 14 to 65 years old and a dress size from 0 to 18.  Additionally, they reflected a diverse range of ethnicities. Some of the numbers surprised me some did not but the data confirms in my opinion why plus size fashion is growing at the rate it has and how plus modeling is also heading in the same direction.

Interesting findings:

• Women increased their purchase intentions by a dramatic 300 percent when they saw curvier models
• When women saw models who didn’t reflect their size, they decreased their purchase intentions by 60 percent
• Women increased their purchase intentions by more than 200 percent when the models in the mock ads were their size.

I feel he will challenge the fashion industry with his findings, but I am being realistic in knowing no full scale changes will happen for quite some time. One fact remains though, the door has been opened and the dialogue has begun.  In other words you can’t get rid of an idea once it is released to the public.

Reading the following paragraph again confirmed what I have been thinking for years and one of the reasons Full Figure Plus exists.

Companies seldom cast models who reflect their markets. The typical model is size 2, whereas the average woman is size 14. Most models are between the ages of 15 and 24, yet there are more Canadians between 40 and 49 or 50 and 64. Only 10 percent of models in North American fashion ads are non-Caucasian, yet 16 percent of the Canadian population is non-Caucasian—and that increases to 40 percent for Toronto and Vancouver.

Having recently obtained my MBA it amazes me this model works and works so well with women even though it is widely known the majority of the ad campaigns for fashion do not reflect the reality of what women today look like.

I was taught in introductory level marketing classes that marketing to a target niche is what pays the bills.  I do it with this blog but apparently even though Ben Barry confirmed this with his study the fashion industry is going against the grain despite losing business because of outdated modes of marketing and design.

In the plus size niche we exist because we HAVE to reflect what our demographic looks like.  If we did not then we would lose our audience so fast it would make our heads spin.  it is good to see data backing up what many have been speculating on for years that size does matter when it comes to the shopping habits of ladies. Congratulations to Ben on obtaining his doctorate degree and for shedding light on an issue that needs to be talked about more and more.  Let him know your thoughts by visiting him on Twitter.

Photo source

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

Dove is at it again targeting those who are out to shame women into losing weight by placing ads in front of you like “want to lose the belly?” or “get rid of that muffin top” by allowing ladies in Australia to replace the ads on their Facebook and friends Facebook pages with positive body messages.

I won’t get into why something like this is not coming to social media in the US I will just applaud Dove again for showing the guts enough to stand up to the negative imagery that women are bombarded with daily in terms of online advertising.

One of the reasons Full Figure Plus is online is to combat the negativity aimed at plus size women that comes from size discrimination. While I applaud as I stated Dove’s efforts to point out the dark side of online advertising I must say I am sad that it took so long for the next campaign to come about.

Most of you remember the time lapse video of how a photo on a model was severely “photoshopped” to the point she looked like a completely different person. That video was produced in 2004 right about the time FFP launched. It took eight years for another video to come out? Not good but let me not point the finger at Dove, after all they are the good guys.

The problem in which Dove is addressing in the negative ads that contribute to only 4% of women, not sure if this is globally or just in Australia, think they are beautiful. It is shocking to hear numbers like this but I can understand where they are coming from. I have been with my wife 20 years next month and she still tells me though she hears me say that she is beautiful she still does not see her size 20 body the way I see it.

I see her as gorgeous and tell her as much but my enemy as well as hers is the Internet and the advertising that is targeted to the way you browse. If she looks at lots of weight loss websites eventually no matter where she goes online she is going to be bombarded by ads that tell her she needs to lose weight.

If only a campaign like what Dove has done would be available as a plugin to your browser to be able to customize the types and amount of advertising you see. If that were the case there would be no need for companies to spend billions of dollars advertising on the Internet.

As you can see I can go on and on about this type of problem but let me stop and give Dove a standing ovation for pointing out the size discrimination in online advertising and encourage them to produce more videos more often and to bring this campaign to the US.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

Plus size fashion has never been about just the clothes.  Back in 2004 when I began my journey the one thing I was thinking about doing was filling a need.  At the time that need was finding affordable lingerie for my wife.  As of late the news of the growth in the plus size fashion niche has been focusing on the one thing that honestly is just a bonus, the clothes.

Sure there are not to many plus size women who do not want a closet full of great looking clothes but if you pay closer attention to the conversations from the plus community you will notice the conversation goes far beyond the clothes to topics that cover but are not limited to:

• Hot new designers
• Size acceptance
• Equality on the modeling runway and print ads
• Health and fitness
• Nutrition
• Relationships
• Business
• Networking

I mean honestly I am having a hard time keeping up with the movement within the community because, putting on my economics hat, there is so much going on that the only common string that brings all of these things together is clothes.  When thinking of it from that point of view I see now that the people who do not understand the plus size community but want to cash in on the hard work of those who made their passions a reality can only see the clothes.  For those people I feel sorry for them because they will miss out on the big picture because all they can see is the clothes the ladies are wearing.

My advise to those people is to be careful how you talk about what you don’t understand. Talking only about clothes you miss out on the bigger picture of getting to know the person behind the label.  That’s were I come in talking about the individual and making sure those in and out of the plus community know the rest of the story.  On the other hand I guess I should thank some of the misguided reports out there for screwing things up.  Biased reporting on the plus size community gives me a virtually unlimited about of topics to write about.

On of the topics I have tried hard not to focus on but has become my biggest pet peeve at this moment is the title “Former plus size model Crystal Renn”  If she wants to hawk clothes for straight sizes then the media needs to leave the plus size fashion community out of the dialogue.  I would much rather talk about Ashley Graham or the latest from a new plus size fashion designer than read and write about someone who no longer represents the niche I represent.

We have and will always make it without the bones you try to throw us like you are doing us a favor.  In the end it may not be only about the clothes but clothes play a big part in the picture.  After your done reading this post check out the 30% off sale going on from City Chic.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

There is nothing like a cool crisp Winter day to inspire staying inside and doing some shopping from the computer.  I am working on some changes for Full Figure Plus that newsletter subscribers got a peek into this morning.  Additionally, I am hanging out more on Google+.  If you are over there add me Glen L Johnson, MBA to your circle.

Things that have caught my attention this morning include:

• TechCrunch | Why Every Entrepreneur Should Self-Publish a Book
• Leading Plus Size Retailer Sonsi.com Adds Exciting New Apparel and Accessories …
• Curves win big at the 2012 SAG Awards
• Brazilian bikinis burgeon to fit the fat
• Get 20% off orders of $150 or more when you use code: STYLE2012 at Kiyonna.com! Offer Expires March 2, 2012. Not valid on body shapers, wedding dresses and gift certificates. Cannot be combined with any other coupons.
  
• ‘Feeling Beautiful is Empowering!’
  Ulla Popken promotions running right now:
  Friday, Feb 03 – extra 20% off Clearance – C21K0203
  Monday, Feb 06 – 10% off entire order – C21K0206
  Wednesday, Feb 15 – $5 shipping – C21K0215
  ullapopken.com
  
• Media misquotes - Octavia Spencer: I’m Not at a Healthy Weight Facebook response: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=371396182886483&id=149279818431455

Contestant Barbara Monteiro, from Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state, gestures after winning the Miss Brazil Plus Size Beauty Pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. A growing number of bikini and swimming suits manufacturers have woken up to Brazil’s thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Contestant Ariana Costa, from Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, performs during the Miss Brazil Plus Size Beauty Pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. A growing number of bikini and swimming suits manufacturers have woken up to Brazil’s thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Contestant Adriana Santos, from Brazil’s Bahia state, performs during the Miss Brazil Plus Size Beauty Pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. A growing number of bikini and swimming suits manufacturers have woken up to Brazil’s thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

This guest post is by Isabella Woods

Now, we know that the media and society are obsessed with thin culture, size zero ‘models’ and women who look like children. Despite this, evidence suggests that historically bigger is better and as we like to show off, the plus size fashion market is more attractive to the modern man but also, in many instances, to the modern woman.

With grown women dressed in little more than baby clothing, the fate of the plus sized citizen is seemingly doomed by popular media but this is not so. If we look back in time, you can see that the skinny phenomena is a sad, modern development and throughout the centuries before, women of larger size, healthier and bigger, were considered much more attractive.

Celebrating curvaceous bodies throughout history

The first instance in which evidence can be found of celebration of the larger human form is the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament. The text uses the phrase ‘your belly is like a heap of wheat’ and researchers believe the use of such a phrase suggests a rounder, larger belly than those seen on current day fashion icons. The idea of a heap is much more akin to a larger lady than a modern waif.

The sixteenth century Renaissance artists and poets are renowned for their love of the female form, complete with curves and flesh. A popular feature of many Renaissance paintings was Venus, the Roman goddess of love, often portrayed naked with a curvaceous, beautiful body, with no angular or sharp edges. Renaissance women were celebrated for being voluptuous, curvy and sensual.

Early modern literary trends veer towards the larger lady

19^th century and early 20^th century classic novelists were also not shy of expressing the beauty of the plus sized lady. In Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, the eldest sister, Meg, is admired and lusted after because of her larger size. Meg’s plumpness is what sets her apart from her younger sisters as she’s viewed as a woman instead of a girl as her body is developed, curvy and more womanly. It seems, in the 19^th century, the trend was for women who looked like women and not those who looked like girls.

The early 20^th century saw the publication of the risqué Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence with Lady Chatterley described as a larger plus-size woman with the description of the ‘curving drop of her haunches’ and ‘the heavy roundness of her buttocks’. The curves of Lady Chatterley cannot be questioned and it shows the trends of the time and what was considered beautiful and attractive.

Isabella Woods is a freelance writer who lives in London.  Contact her if you need some writing done.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

Ads like this are more offensive than saying the word obese

According to studies done in Philadelphia and Atlanta obesity is a major problem and now the term obese and its derivatives are considered offensive.  When I read things like this I get so tired.  In the plus size community we have dealt with abuse so long that when the next blow comes its hard to stomach.  Hearing “medically-obese” was bad enough but now we have to hear that saying the word obese is offensive to many.

As an obese black man living in the state of Arkansas I think I can tell you a few things about words that are offensive and obese is not on the list.  Fat. Jolly. Rotund. Tubo. Lardo. Lard-ass. Dumbo. Fat-ass for example.  I could go on with a few more words that ARE for sure offensive but I digress.  If the people in the Philly study felt bad when their doctor said obese I have sympathy for them but not enough that the word obese should no longer be used.

Why do I have a problem with any word being thrown out especially one that is commonly associated with fat people?  The term obese is more connected to medical terms in conjunction with a persons BMI instead of their actual weight.

For example, a male who is six foot tall and weighs one hundred and ninety pounds and has 15% body fat is considered obese.  How do I know?  The person in the example is yours truly a few years back.  I had the muscle mass of a professional athlete but because I had a gut I was considered obese.

If anything needs to be removed from the books it is the stupid math that created BMI. As crazy as the child obesity campaign is in Atlanta is I do not think that obese should be stricken from the record books as much as I think that the attitudes of people when using the word needs to change. How is this going to happen?

I have a few simple solutions.

• Stop saying the word obese like its a dirty word
• Stop judging people by what the scale says

See that was not too painful was it?  Obese is just a word but the intent behind saying it is where the problem lies.  If you intend harm to the person then the word can cut deeply.  If you are a doctor who is scared to say it then you are just s bad as a person who says it in a venomous way. There are far worse things going on in the world today that are more important than whether or not to say the word obese.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women