My favorite pastime used to be going to the mall with my friends to shop for clothes. But as I grew up and my sizes started to change, shopping at malls turned into something I dreaded.
As a teenager, I spent my weekends with my friends at our favorite stores. And while they loaded up their arms with clothes to bring to the fitting room, I walked around aimlessly hoping to find just one item that I could try on too.
Over time, going to the mall just made me feel bad about myself. So, I started pretty much exclusively shopping online. Because the fact is, a lot of physical stores don’t carry size-inclusive clothing. And if they do, it’s only available online. And even then, usually, the pieces are tacky and out of style.
Is it such a big ask for stores to extend their sizing on the pieces they already have that we actually want to wear?
Until mall retailers stop catering only to thin bodies, I’ll continue to spend my money elsewhere at online stores that actually create clothes that suit me and help me feel confident in my body.