You CAN't be Fashionable!

Hey guys, I just wanted to tell you, you can't be fashionable AND fat. You just can't, it's not possible... or at least that's the message I get when I go shopping. For a guy like myself, it's never been easy to go clothes shopping because of my size but I LOVE clothes and let's face it, we all wear them, it's part of everyday life. So why then is it that for guys that are "Big & Tall" have such a damn hard time finding things to wear? What makes clothing companies think that fat men don't want to have the same nice, fashion forward clothes that "thin" guys want? I am absolutely sick and tired of walking in to a store that has a small Big & Tall section with hideous choices to pick from. Times have changed, most men these days care about how they dress and want to express themselves through their clothes just like everyone else. We're in the beginning of an amazing body positive era. Women and men alike are learning to love their bodies and realizing it's okay to be fat. If I go in to a department store that sells a pair of cute floral shorts or an awesome tee shirt in the"Mens" or "Young Mens" department then they should also sell it in the Big & Tall section. We shouldn't be left out or shammed into wearing the "Fat Guy Clothes." And why is it that stores like Old Navy don't carry ANY Big & Tall clothes in store, you can only buy them ONLINE. What kind of cruel joke is that!? Fat guys having to buy clothes online that may or may not fit!? OH, and they ONLY go up to size 3XL if you're lucky! HAHAHA. I myself wear a 3XL-5XL in shirts depending on the cut and material. It's like a losing game of Russian Roulette most of the time when out shopping. I want to know why any fashion/clothes designers haven't jumped on this VERY open market? Sure, I've seen some decent attempts at making fashionable Big & Tall clothes, but it's usually a brand that just decides to extend a couple of it's pieces but they pieces never really fit right cause they aren't made for a fat guys body. EveryBODY is different. What might fit a Medium size guy will not fit a size 3XL guy the same way. I do my best with what I find and come up with some decent outfits, but nothing that makes me feel like WOW!

There is nothing wrong with being fat! NOTHING!! I'm sick of being treated like I don't matter just because I'm fat! I should be able to walk in to my local store and find a comfortable pair of jeans that looks good on my ass and not like burlap sack. It's our time to stand up and speak our minds! Fat guys want to look good too! Why should we only have ugly over sized shirts and basketball shorts to pick from when we go shopping!? We need someone who feels the same and/or understands our struggle, to step up and help big guys out! Let's start designing clothes that look great AND fit well for our big bodies! I'm sure most other big guys out there, like myself, have some insecurities about their bodies and would like to find clothes that fit them right so they can have the confidence they deserve! For me, it's my belly, I love it but I don't like how much it sticks out in most shirts. It's hard to find something that fits well over it, but when I do I walk around like the sexy thing I am!

So here's my plea; Fashion/Clothes Designers, let's work together and help build the confidence and happiness of my fellow big guys! Let's start making some fashionable Big & Tall clothes! I wanna see big guys on the runway at fashion shows wearing freaking amazing outfits! I know it can happen. I know we CAN be Fashionable!

If there are any other gentlemen out there that are like me and feel the same way, let's do something about it and get our voices heard!

That dreaded shopping trip

We've all been there, okay, well maybe not all of us, but us guys with more to love; Us bigger guys that are out shopping for a new outfit or maybe just a new shirt for that event you have coming up. You think to yourself "I'll just go down to the local major retailer and I'm sure I'll find something cute!" You get to the store and locate the clothing section, start looking around, they have some awesome things you'd like to try on. L, XL, XXL. You think to yourself "Hmmm, where are the larger sizes? They must have a plus size section somewhere, I'll keep looking!" So with an optimistic attitude you keep walking around, some skinny jeans pop out at you that you would totally rock but damn, they only go up to a 38 waist. Well that doesn't make much sense, they gotta have an extended section, even if it's a small selection, right? After about 10 minutes of walking around all of the men's clothes you look over the the ladies wear. Did you just over look the guys plus size area, maybe it's over there with the women's stuff? You get to the ladies section and examine what's around, you aren't very interested in what they have to offer, you aren't looking for a new dress, not today anyway, and that's when it catches your eye. A sign that says sizes XXL, XXXL XXXXL. YES, FINALLY! Good job, you found the plus size section, your search is over! Wait, with closer inspection you realize it's all ladies plus size. That can't be right. There is an entire section dedicated to women's plus sizes but no men's. No, how can that be? Now what are you going to do? You fill with disappointment and some slight anger. How is that fair? Why is there a selection of plus size clothes for women but not men? This way to common. For years I've spent so much time and energy looking for clothes. Clothes that are somewhat fashion forward. Not to say that I'm some great style guru, I can barely dress myself most days but I would like to be able to go shopping and find clothes that don't look like they got buried in a grave and forgotten about for 40 years. I'd also like that when I do find a store that has a somewhat acceptable selection of clothing, to not have to chose from shirts printed with "SWAG" or some gender degrading quote on them. Why is it so hard to find trendy plus size guy clothing? Fat boys wanna look good too! I have a favorite store to go shopping at for plus sizes and depending on the time of year the selection can sometimes be questionable. Yet the "regular" men or young men clothing that is right next to my big and tall has nothing but a plethora of trendy and cute outfits. Why is this? Why don't the clothing brands that make those trendy clothes make bigger sizes too? Are they afraid of fat people wearing their brands and giving them a "bad"image? Does it really cost them too much to make larger sizes? Then there are those few brands that do make some great pieces in larger sizes but they aren't always cut right. They are literally just bigger versions of their smaller counterparts. Now it sounds like I'm just being picky right? NO! Everyone's bodies are build different. We all carry our muscles and fat in different places. So that extended version of that shirt might fit that guy over there fine but not this guy over here. For me, I hold all my weight in my big old belly, so I need things cut to fit me properly. This shouldn't be such a big deal. We live in a world that is slowly becoming more excepting of peoples bodies. I don't know why it's looked at to be such a horrible thing to be fat? Being fat is not a death sentence. You can live a perfectly happy, healthy life AND be fat. What I just don't understand is that in a country, the USA, that has a very large population of plus size folk, why is it so unacceptable to be fat? Why is it so hard to find plus sized clothes but more precise, hard to find plus sized men's clothes? I'm not here to say that plus size women can't struggle to find clothes they like BUT there are WAY more options available to them. Options that are becoming extremely mainstream and that's fantastic, that's what I like to see! What about guys though? We like to be trendy and fashionable too and it's not just me or us "gays." Most men like to look nice. I understand that it's thought if your a guy and fat you must not care about your appearance so let's just make you some giant Moomoo of a shirt with a sports team on it and you'll be happy. Maybe for some guys that's great, they don't care and there's nothing wrong with that, but they don't get to "speak" for all of us. I think that if more of us fat guys start speaking up about what we want and that we love ourselves the way we are we can start making a real change. There's nothing wrong with you if you're a XS or a 6XL. Stop buying in to what society tells you is "right" and start listening to yourself. You're beautiful inside and out, and a great way to express how you feel is through your clothing, not to mention when you find that great pair of shorts that makes your butt look great, your confidence sky rockets!