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Plus Size Research Paper

Decent Essays

If you are not a plus-size person, you may not have ever used plus-size clothing. In fact, you may not even be familiar with the term. But if you are a larger than average or "plus-size" individual, the term must have become a part of your shopping vocabulary.

What is Plus-Size Clothing?

Plus-size clothing is clothing between the numerical sizes of 14W and upwards to size 26 (the W stands for women). Also identified as X sizes (1X, 2X, etc), which have numerical size equivalents (check the tag). You may also hear or see plus-size clothing generically referred to as "Women's Sizes." In many major retail stores there is a separate section for plus-size clothing.

Difficulties of Finding Larger Sizes

While the average woman may wear a size 12 - we are not all average sized women. Some of us are smaller in stature and tend to shop in the petite or juniors section of our favorite department store. For those who are larger than average, plus-size clothing can be their only avenue for fashion. …show more content…

When able to find their size, younger women have found it even more difficult to find fashionable clothing in plus-sizes. Now, however, due to the growth in the plus-size clothing market, many countries are seeing an increase in specialty stores who carry lines specifically targeted to plus-size women.

Specialty Chain Stores

One of the most recognizable stores in the United States is Lane Bryant, who offers a variety of styles including business, casual, and dress clothing for larger women. Lane Bryant practices another major feature of plus-size clothing shopping - the convenience of online shopping and mail order catalogs.

The specialty store Torrid specifically targets younger and more fashion conscious plus-size women. Similar to Lane Bryant in the types of clothing offered, Torrid is more concentrated with younger women and teens.

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