[Viola]

Good fit, bad message: Teen plus sizes boost morale, but do they encourage obesity?

Quote:

While kids are happy with more fashionable options, some doctors and parents worry that while the plus-size clothes help self-esteem, they also could signal an acceptance of childhood obesity. It used to be almost impossible to find plus-size clothes for kids. Sears and J.C. Penney Co. used to call them ''husky,'' offering basics such as jeans and plaid shirts.

OK, I wasn't sure of the proper forum for this, Activism? TAO? Health? Teens? The mods can move it if this isn't a good place for it.

 

[TiredX2]

Hey, Husky was only for boys... pretty plus was for girls.

:

 

[Viola]

pretty plus--never heard that one. :LOL My mom called them "half sizes" Oh, and I remember when I wore a 6X, which signalled the beginning of my fattitudity. I was part of the 7% listed in that article. Now all kids want to be fat, dammit! I guess it is for the cool clothes!

Seriously, though, I have a friend who only lost weight after he was able to buy nice clothes. He said that before he always thought he should lose weight first. The shame of not having anything to wear doesn't help you lose weight. From about 1976 to 1980, the timeframe listed in the article, I was wearing polyester pants that my parents made for me.

 

[Marsupialmom]

Hey, 6X in girls does not mean fat. It is an inbetween size. My 6 yr old is in it. She is no were near fat (she doesn't even weight 45 lbs). She is just tall and slender. She weres 7 slim pants that hangs off her butt because she is skinny.

Anyways``````````

I think clothing manufactors have long missed the boat on sizing for children for a long time. They make for the mid-range but forget there are a lot of kids on either end of the spectrum.

I do not promote my children still staying skinny by having thier clothes altered to fit.

 

[Towerkel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amywillo The shame of not having anything to wear doesn't help you lose weight.

Exactly.

Give me a break.

Really.

You want to know what really sucked about being an overweight teenager? Not being able to choose exactly the pair of pants you want because @ the size you are there are only 3 options and two of them are the same style. Racks and racks of shirts, and a rack of "plus" sized shirts with *A* shirt in your size.

Yeah, that showed me.

 

[~Megan~]

Yea, so fat kids should get clothes that fit?

Gee, that's going to help them a lot. They can feel even more dorky because they have ugly clothes...that will make them want to eat less.

 

[Plaid Leopard]

Good grief!

When are they gonna learn that fat does not automatically = lazy, unhealthy, unmotivated. And whether or not a person is "plus size" because of those reasons, they don't need to be further stigmatized by ugly clothes.

ugh.

And when are they gonna go after the stick thin, air-brushed, unrealistic images of models in magazines that encourage acceptance of anorexia?

 

[Meiri]

I suppose they're supposed to just go naked???

 

[Breathless Wonder]

No don't6 you know that the fat kids are supposed to wear those tent cut shirts in the same pattern as the table cloth on their kitchen table?

I will NEVER understand the use of shame as a motivating technique, for anything!

 

[Arduinna]

Personally, I consider this idea abuse! And by this idea I mean that anyone over a certain weight/size ect should be restricted to certain kinds of clothing. It's just another example of how SICK our society is. Yes, shame and abuse are rampant against anyone that doesn't fit the US perception of perfect, beautiful and thin. I'm so disgusted I don't even know what else to say.

 

[Arduinna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meiri I suppose they're supposed to just go naked???

oh no they better not be naked, all that fat will surely gross out all the "normal people". :BARF !

 

[DebraBaker]

My DD (14) has a friend who is big. Always has been big (known one another since early elementary school.) This girl is extremely active, very into her sports. She's nice, intelligent, active but big.

She should feel pretty in her clothes as much as my size 2 (5'9") daughter for goodness' sake

 

[EFmom]

Quote:

No don't6 you know that the fat kids are supposed to wear those tent cut shirts in the same pattern as the table cloth on their kitchen table?

Yeah, but I think they are also supposed to write the word "FATSO" in big red letters on the back.

These people should be forced to wear tent cut shirts that say "MORON" on them.

 

[Colorful~Mama]

just nodding in agreement. My dd is 14.5 and wears womens sizes. We don't even shop the junior/teen/little miss departments. The stuff is too tiny, too hoochie and even if she did fit into the stuff, it would look horrible on her. And she's not "huge" or anything - she wears a womans 10/12 or a med/large depending on the cut or style. She's what.... 5'3" and about 120lbs.

sigh. i hate all of it tho. It bugs me that our society makes 'fat' so intolerable and puts so much shame onto our kids. It also bothers me that we as a society ARE so obese. We eat junk and we dont' excercise. and i can say this cuz i'm not thin. I'm fat and i know i could NOT be fat if i tried

 

[Bippity]

...and teaching sex education encourages sexual promiscuity. Hmmm... sounds like a old, familiar theme to me... Our sick society at work again.

When will we ever get the message and learn to love more and fear less?

uke

 

[Mamid]

I was humilliated when I was shopping with my grandma when I was a young teen. I was asked what size I was and I said "16" and the woman with me looked at me and brought me a size 10 saying it would fit me. She thought the 16 was kid's sizes since I was shopping in the adult women's section. Then she brought me a 12, then a 14 and finally a 16. AUGH. What was so difficult to understand that I was a size 16? I had to try them all on in order to prove to her that I was a 16 and not a 10 like she thought I was.

This was almost twenty years ago. I wasn't obese. I was 150lbs and 5'4" just a little "heavy" but not fat. I still had all my baby fat and it was doing the transition to women fat so I still didn't quite have my hips, but I definitely had my breasts.

All I can say is that its gotten worse over the years. My waist/hips are a size 18/20 and my chest is a 22. I walk out of size 22 pants even as pregnant as I am right now because they are too loose. It has gotten worse trying to find clothes. I won't even go into the war of the bra sizes I had the last time I went looking.

 

[jadegirl553]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amywillo the beginning of my fattitudity.

Wow! that's the best word ever! :LOL can I start using it? Is it a noun or a verb?

I totally agree with the PP's. Shame should not be used as a motivator- it'll lead to more problems, in the end. (pun not intended)
Plus, I think that looking better in ones' clothing will lead to better self esteem, which, if the weight issues are linked to that, will actually help the person with the weight problem, KWIM?
I say that, because my weight issues are somewhat linked to self esteem, or at least they were when I was younger, now they're linked to depression and having a baby.

 

[LavenderMae]

I guess we really shouldn't promote a healthy self image in over weight kids. They should hate themselves and their bodies. I mean they are fat they don't deserve to feel good about them selves or dress nice.
Is that what this article is trying to say? There is a market for larger sizes therefore there needs to be larger sizes made. We don't need to punish children anymore for being overweight society does enough of that already!

 

[kate42]

Adults can buy plus sized clothes, why not younger adults?

Everyone deserves to have nice looking, great fitting clothes, no matter how old they are.

 

[tricia80]

of course in today's standards anyone over a size ten is considered a plus size... sheesh.. i jus dont get how dumb one has to be to come out with this idea...

ppl drive me