Retailers hate me...

I interrupt this blog (which lately has been a smattering of adorable pictures of Nik and Alexa) with a rant. It is spring (well, almost) and I find myself once again looking to revitalize my wardrobe. This is never an easy task for me. I am usually quite happy with my appearance. I would love if I could magically lose a roll or two from my belly, and some extra padding from around my face and chin, but overall, when I look in the mirror I think, hey, not bad. That's probably more than most women can say. Considering I'm overweight that's even better.

The fact that I'm overweight is where the problem comes in though. I wear a size 20 in pants and shorts, and a 1X or 2X in tops, depending on the brand, style and fit. For reasons that I don't understand however, it is nearly impossible for me to find clothes when I want to. Being a plus-size woman, I'm limited to a handful of stores, most filled with shapeless tops that are not age-appropriate in the least, nevermind EXPENSIVE! I understand that plus-size clothes are a niche market, and I do expect to pay more for my clothes. Unlike a thinner woman who might be able to luck out and score $10 sale pair of jeans, or even $20 jeans regular price, I consider myself lucky when I can find $35 jeans. Some of the prices are ridiculous though! At a plus-size store it is not unusual to find tops marked at $50 or $60 and jeans marked as high as $90. Is that REALLY necessary? The sad thing is, I would be willing to pay that if they actually fit!

Well just lose weight some people might think. Yeah. That's definitely part of the solution, but I am not destined to be on "The Biggest Loser" or on the front of some women's magazine. I will never drop from a 20 to a size 6... unless you shave some bone off my shoulders, ribs and hips. Could I drop a few pant sizes? Definitely. But I'll tell you a little secret. Many overweight people are emotional eaters. I know I am. I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad, sometimes I just eat when I'm bored. It's definitely an issue that I have to work on, and I will be working on probably my whole life. Here's the rub though....filling the stores with clothes that overweight people look terrible in is NOT going to help them. It will likely make them feel fat and depressed, and go home to a comforting bowl of triple chocolate ice cream.

What I find even more frustrating is that I know it's possible to make clothes that are actually flattering. The good ol' US of A has more stores selling plus-size clothes, and as a result there actually appears to be a bit of competition resulting in cheaper, cuter and better quality clothing. Canada is not that far away. While Canada probably has a slightly slimmer population, there are definitely tons (heh...tons) of overweight women searching for decent clothes! Why can't they come here?

Ugh... well there won't be a solution overnight, and the more I think about it, the more I want to eat M&Ms so I guess I should move on. In the meantime I will dream of a day when I can leave my house and buy clothes within a 20 minute drive of my door, while planning a trip to Grand Forks where they actually have stores that love me. Or at least don't hate me.  :)

I Heart Faces - People's Choice March

This was such a tough decision this month! I had two days in particular where my camera and I managed to take some great shots of my niece and nephew, but to pick just one was nearly impossible! This shot is of my niece Alexa, taken in early March when she was just over a month old. She's eight weeks today, and even more alert and bright-eyed now.