Your Chubby Lass Can Be the Belle of her Class
Long ago, there was a clothing line called Chubbettes. As if the name wasn’t insulting enough, they ran ads like this:
It reads:
Your chubby lass can be the belle of her class
When I was a kid, Sears had a line of clothing called “Husky.” To this day, I HATE the word. I was so embarrassed that grandma made me try on husky sized clothes that I am still damaged by it even now. The same could be said for Chubbettes, Plus sizes, or Women’s sizes. It doesn’t matter WHAT you call larger sized clothing. The fact that they are isolated from the “normal” clothes is enough to make us feel ashamed.
Some people use the shame to motivate themselves. They say things like:
- I will never shop in the plus sizes again.
- I won’t ever have to buy clothes from Layne Bryant again.
- I’ll be able to wear “normal” clothes again.
None of these mantras have worked for me. Inside, I know that clothing companies are losing out on a lot of business because they insist on drawing lines between thin people and fat people. It’s discrimination and THEY are the ones losing out.
The truth of the matter is, your chubby lass CAN be the belle of her class. It doesn’t take a svelte body to win over hearts. It doesn’t even take a cute dress that fits well. All it takes is being friendly and outgoing. You can be thin and beautiful, but you’re never fully dressed without a smile.
The next time you have to try on clothes in the “chubbettes” section, remember the look on that girl’s face in the ad. THAT is what makes her the belle of her class. That flirty look behind the book, not the clothes and not the body. You can finally get to goal weight, but if you never learn how to look at people like that, you’ll stay a wallflower forever, no matter what size you are.
Advert via: Found in Mom’s Basement: Vintage ad for Chubbettes — clothing for your “chubby lass”
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August 12th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
My aunt looked like a model most of her life. She dated jerks who wanted her to be even thinner, even “better.” Then she gained some weight and was slightly “plus size” ie: normal. She then met and married a really wonderful (and handsome) guy.
One of her friends always complains to her that men don’t like fat women. They won’t date her until she is thinner. My aunt has now blossomed into a full blown zaftig woman and men are still after her and she’s almost 60! My aunt just vaguely sympathizes with her friend, but she told me that she wants to tell her, “Its not your weight! Its your personality!”
October 12th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I’ve always been afraid to date “smaller” or “thinner” women … I’m afraid that I will somehow break them (probably cause they look like friggin’ twigs).
I have no idea how this fits in with your article, just commenting. :]